Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 995

Chapter 995

Screeeeeeeeech—!!!!

A shrill, agonized cry tore through the air. It felt like my eardrums were being shredded. How could a scream be so full of raw, untamed suffering?

“Kuaaaaaaah—!!!”
“Krrrrrghhh—!!!!”

I wasn’t the only one reeling. Soldiers who hadn’t managed to flee were clutching their ears and crumpling to the ground.

On the surface, it seemed ridiculous that a mere sound could cause such a violent reaction.

But this was no ordinary sound.

In truth, calling it sound felt wrong.

This was energy given voice.

A scream made tangible through pure power.

And because of that, it was far more terrifying and horrifying than any noise could ever be.

And it wasn’t just the sound itself.

Kwaaaaaaah—!!!

Even after the initial burst, the unleashed force remained, swirling violently in place.

Watching it, I stood completely still, stunned behind my mask.

I was the one who had caused this, and yet—

‘Can this even be called energy?’

The way it raged and twisted, it looked like a hurricane. It wasn’t strange for energy to take the form of a storm.

The First Stance of Tua Pacheonmu—the Tua Heaven-Piercing Fist—also released energy in a spiraling motion.

A storm of energy, with blades of force cutting through the air. A shape created by the violent currents inside my body.

‘…No.’

But what I was seeing now—

‘That’s not the same.’

This wasn’t a storm.

This was—

Chaos.

A clashing mass of energies that refused to unite.

The Cheonma Divine Art functions by generating friction between opposing energies. That friction is what shapes it.

So, this swirling vortex before me existed for a simple reason.

‘All the energies have been drawn together—but they are rejecting each other.’

They were repelling one another with such ferocity that it only looked like a storm.

‘…Rejection. Friction.’

The pressure born from that conflict.

The destruction that followed.

Something I had only theorized about was now unfolding right before my eyes.

I couldn’t tear my gaze away.

It was nothing like beauty.

Not like the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship of Mount Hua.

Not like the Moonlit Sword Dance of the Sword Sage.

No martial art could be more brutally raw than this.

Of course. This was energy stripped bare, devoid of any refinement, containing nothing but pure hostility.

If it had a name, it would be rage.

How could something born of such raw fury ever be beautiful?

It was wild, unrestrained, overwhelming.

And yet—

I found myself staring at it as if it were the most precious gem.

As if I were under a spell.

My body felt turned to stone.

My eyes refused to look away.

Thump—! Thump—!

And inside me, the heart that now served as my energy core was pounding madly.

My blood felt like it was boiling.

The energy flowing through my veins resonated with the phenomenon in front of me.

Thump—!

A strange heat flooded through my body.

Yet, my energy itself was calm. Was it because I had activated Nine Flames Firewheel to use the Cheonma Divine Art?

No. That wasn’t it.

This heat wasn’t coming from my energy.

Then what was it?

I hadn’t activated any techniques—so why this sudden heat?

Ah.

I understood.

The Nine Flames Firewheel was moving on its own.

Even though I hadn’t consciously activated it, it had begun to spin by itself, generating this intense heat within me.

Why?

I didn’t know.

Crack—!

The sound of something breaking reached my ears.

And yet, my focus remained locked on the chaotic swirl.

Screeeeeech—!!!

The terrible sound began to fade.

If the sound was fading, it meant the energy was finally dissipating.

Crack—! Crack—!

More sounds of shattering.

They weren’t coming from outside.

Which meant—they were coming from within me.

Why?

What was breaking? Where?

Crack—!
Shatter—!

Cracks spread, until finally, something gave way.

At that exact moment—

Giiiiiiiiing—!!!

The Nine Flames Firewheel spun wildly.

Whooosh—!!!!

Flames erupted over my entire body.

Blue Azure Flames coiled around me.

Whoosh—! Whooosh—!!!

They spiraled, using me as their center. The Nine Flames Firewheel had always moved like this.

Always rotating, maintaining its wheel-like form, constantly expanding.

I had seen this same phenomenon every time I used it.

And yet—

Whoooosh… Whoooosh—!!!!

This time, it was different.

The flames, which had appeared without my command, began to shrink.

Smaller and smaller—until they were barely encircling my body.

And then—

Clank.

Something released.

The ring of flames detached from me.

It rose up behind my back.

A perfect circular wheel, hovering in the air, spinning slowly.

Whoosh.

Tiny embers scattered into the wind.

I turned my palm upward and stared at it.

An empty hand.

Yet—

Whooosh.

My hand transformed into flame. Not just covered in fire.

It had become fire itself.

This wasn’t unfamiliar.

I had felt this sensation once before, when I first mastered the technique.

But now—

‘…I understand.’

Back then, I had simply become fire.

Now, I understood the reason why.

‘It’s not about the flames.’

Not the fire itself.

But why the flames had chosen the form of a wheel.

‘The optimal shape for rotation. Faster and hotter.’

It was the wheel’s own choice.

Because it was fire, it could burn brighter and spin faster.

That was why it took this form.

‘The Nine Flames Firewheel isn’t about fire—it’s about rotation.’

A memory surfaced.

Something my father had told me long ago.

At the time, I thought he just meant to spin faster, to focus on compression.

But now…

‘He had already explained everything.’

So this was what he meant.

As that understanding settled in—

Whoooosh—!!!

The blazing ring behind my back began to spin.

Savoring the sensation, I took a step forward.

Ssssshhhhh—

With each step, the ground sizzled beneath my feet. The intense heat melted the surface, leaving scorched footprints in my wake.

I walked forward—toward the epicenter of the devastation my strike had caused.

A collapsed building. Blood splattered across the rubble.

And at the very heart of it—

“Khh… krrhh… ugh…”

The mutilated, twisted body of the leader of the White Faction.

“Krrhh… khhh…”

A painful, guttural groan.

Even in that state, it wasn’t dead.

It was regenerating.

“Hm.”

I wasn’t surprised. I had expected this. I had held back on purpose.

After our exchange, I had gauged its resilience. A wound like this—it could survive.

Even if it hadn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered to me.

I stood over the wreckage and spoke.

“How pitiful.”

“Krrhh… krrrhh…”

The leader of the White Faction tried to form words, but I had no interest in hearing them.

“Did you believe that just because night had fallen, you could touch me?”

I laughed.

A genuine laugh.

Because it was truly amusing.

Because the idea was so absurd.

A strange, exhilarating surge welled up inside me, rising without end.

“For something so proud of its fangs, they were disappointingly soft.”

Repeating the words it had once spoken to me, I moved closer.

I remembered why I had spared it.

Demonification.

I had planned to use it as a test.

Would demonic energy affect it the same way it had the leader of the Black Faction?

Could the Moonlit Night Tribe resist demonification as a whole?

I had kept it alive to find out.

“Hm.”

Just as my demon-infused fingers were about to touch its body—

Something about it displeased me.

For no reason at all.

Flick.

I flicked my fingers.

A tiny ember flew from my fingertip.

It drifted through the air—

And landed on its body.

WHOOOOOSH—!!!

“GRAAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!”

An enormous blaze instantly consumed its flesh.

Not a groan. Not a gasp.

A scream.

A piercing wail tore through the night.

It lasted only a moment.

The flames enveloped it for the briefest instant.

And when they receded—

Not even ashes remained.

“Leader—!!”
“The leader is…!!”

Those who had been watching from the sidelines gasped in horror.

But when my gaze shifted to them, a terrified silence fell over them.

Fear.

I could feel it radiating from them.

I reached out toward them.

Just as I had with the White Faction leader—I prepared to ignite another ember at my fingertips.

And then—

“……”

I looked at them.

And a thought emerged.

What expression am I making right now?

And—

What exactly am I trying to do?

At that moment—

The world around me changed.

I was standing on the surface of a vast lake.

A lake?

No.

I recognized it immediately.

It was exhilaration.

The exhilaration surging within me had manifested as this lake.

The water was perfectly calm, eerily still.

And impossibly deep.

I understood instinctively.

‘If I fall in, I won’t come back.’

If I let myself sink into this stillness, I would plunge into the depths, never to return.

So I walked.

Ssssshhhhh.

Leaving the heat behind, I stepped forward.

Desire.

‘Why am I hesitating?’

So what if I fell?

This lake—it was mine.

Why should I fear stepping into something that belonged to me?

Why resist it?

Why not just give in?

That thought crossed my mind.

I moved to step into the water.

Plop.

“……”

Something formed beneath my foot.

A lotus flower.

A radiant, deep violet lotus had risen to stop me from sinking.

As if telling me—Not yet.

I stared at it.

And then—

The lake vanished.

Once again, I saw them.

The people before me.

Terrified. Trembling.

My breath caught.

I withdrew my hand.

Then—

WHOOSH—!!!

My body became flame.

And I shot into the sky.

If I wanted to remain myself—

I had to leave this place.

*********

The night grew deeper.

A woman sat in the distance, her eyes fixed on the sky.

Something was streaking toward the heavens in the moonlit night.

A blue trail of light.

Watching it, she bit her lip.

The violet aurora that filled the night sky was reflected in her eyes.

She kept watching, as if she didn’t want to lose sight of that blue light.

And in her gaze—

Along with that light—

Was worry.