Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 996

Chapter 996

Flames thundered through the air—!!!!

A figure wreathed in fire descended like a shooting star, violently intruding into the atmosphere.

The soaring body dropped abruptly, plummeting straight down and striking the earth.

Thud—! Fwoosh—!!

Sparks exploded on contact, and the ground below began to liquefy. Quickly, I retrieved a vial from my robe and emptied its contents over myself.

Absurdly, even the glass container in my hand had started to melt.

“Phew…”

I steadied my spinning thoughts and forced myself forward. In that instant, my sight changed.

The foreign sky of Mangyeong vanished, replaced by one I recognized.

I was at the foot of Mount Hua.

Feeling the certainty of my return, I strengthened my legs once again.

Whoosh—!

Once more, my body burst into flame, launching me upward as I hurtled through the air.

I strained my blurred vision to get my bearings. Everything was indistinct.

At this rate, I was going to crash again. What could I do? Just as the worry formed—

“…Tsk, tsk.”

I heard a disapproving click of a tongue close by.

And then—

“Every single time you leave and come back, you have to make a grand entrance.”

An irritated, familiar voice accompanied a sharp blow to my head.

Boom—!!

A violent jolt slammed my body into the ground.

Boom—!

I tumbled across the earth, bouncing twice before finally grinding to a halt.

“Cough.”

I let out a dry cough as I pushed myself up. It didn’t hurt. My addled mind and numb body simply refused to process any pain.

Squinting, I raised my head.

Standing before me was the very person I had been searching for.

“What a pitiful sight.”

It was Shin Noya.

He let out a short, scoffing laugh as he looked down at me.

“You marched off like you were going to take over the world, and you come back in this state? What in hell happened?”

“…Noya.”

“This is absurd.”

Noya circled me, inspecting me from various angles as if it were all a great joke.

“…What’s the matter? The timing doesn’t seem right… Something’s not adding up.”

“…Something’s off. It all feels wrong.”

At my words, Noya asked,

“What feels wrong?”

“Just… everything.”

“…Wow, that’s a fantastic explanation. What am I supposed to do with that?”

I wanted to explain properly, but I had no words for it.

Everything just felt… alien.

I felt untethered.

A wild euphoria washed over me, a sensation that I could achieve anything.

But laced within it was a sinister pull, dragging me away from my own reason.

Burn away all that is trivial.

Do not waste a moment. Immerse yourself in the lake you envisioned.

An uncontrollable urge churned inside me.

Seeing my state, Shin Noya tilted his head, studying me closely.

“It’s not normally this intense. There must be another factor at work.”

“…Do you know what this is?”

“Of course I do… and you should know it, too.”

“What… is it?”

“How should I say this? Perhaps I should offer my congratulations first?”

Congratulations? I frowned at the bewildering statement.

“Young brat.”

Noya looked straight at me and spoke.

“You’ve finally entered transcendence. How does it feel?”

“…!”

My eyes widened at his words.

I had reached transcendence?

‘This… is transcendence?’

The realm beyond mastery.

The ultimate state achievable only after perfecting one’s martial arts.

The final stage—where one becomes inseparable from the art itself.

Had I truly arrived there?

I should have been stunned by Noya’s announcement.

Was this truly it?

Fwoosh—!

I willed my hand to become fire.

The flickering flames burned in a controlled, rhythmic pulse.

“This is…”

Was this the realm I had longed for all this time?

My hazy mind sharpened slightly.

As I stared in awe—

“You left to settle your business, and you return like this. I should be the one asking the questions.”

Clang.

A sharp, metallic sound made me look up.

At some point, Noya had drawn the sword from his waist.

“Given your condition, there’s something we need to address first.”

“…Noya?”

“You really are the best at making an old man work for his peace.”

From the tip of Noya’s foot, plum blossoms scattered into the air.

As always, they were breathtakingly beautiful.

But within them, I felt an overwhelming killing intent.

The moment I sensed it, my body reacted on instinct, unleashing pure hostility.

Its intention was simple.

How dare you show hostility before me?

The flames within me did not tolerate such a challenge.

What should I do?

Arrogance and exhilaration surged once more. I tried to suppress them, clenching my fists.

“Don’t bother holding back for no reason. Do you truly believe I can’t handle a youngster like you?”

At Shin Noya’s calm declaration, my mind strangely settled.

“Show me what you’re capable of. I expect something better than last time.”

Fwoosh.

The moment fire enveloped my body—

Clench—!

Noya’s hand closed around my throat.

Just like that—

Boom—!!

With a burst of speed, Noya accelerated.

We instantly shot past the boundaries of Mount Hua, shattering the barrier I had worked so hard to build.

The aurora-filled night sky unfolded before us.

As soon as we were outside, Noya tightened his grip and hurled me with immense force.

My body was flung through the air at a terrifying velocity.

The violent pressure crushed down on me. Instead of fighting it, I went limp.

Fwoosh.

The sound of embers igniting filled the void.

My flying form dissolved into pure flame.

And then—suddenly—it was as if I struck an invisible wall, halting me mid-flight.

My eyes darted, searching for Noya.

But—

Srrng.

A cold sensation grazed my neck.

My fiery body instinctively darted away. In that split second, a sword cleaved through the space I had just occupied.

It was Noya.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gak—!!!

The sword that tore through the air split everything behind it. It was as if the entire world had been severed by a single strike.

Why was I suddenly fighting Noya?

The thought flickered through my mind, but instinct moved faster than reason. Noya’s hostility triggered my battle reflexes first.

Giiiing—!!!

A circular ring of energy spun rapidly behind me.

Flames poured down my shoulders, condensing into dense spheres.

A sea of fire swallowed the surroundings.

I swung my fingertips.

Guaaaaaaa—!!!

The firestorm rushed toward Noya.

Like a meteor shower crashing through the night, countless azure fireballs flooded toward him.

But—

“Hooop!”

Noya took a deep breath and slashed his sword in a cross.

With just two swings—

Pababababang—!!!

The inferno detonated and was utterly obliterated.

I froze for a split second, staring at the exploding flames. Had he destroyed them with mere wind pressure?

How was that possible?

Back during the Martial Festival, when I sparred with Yeong Pung—

The Noya I met in the mental realm had needed thousands of precise cuts to slice through my flames.

But now, he ended it with just two.

The difference was staggering.

But—

“Is this the time to be daydreaming?”

This was no moment for shock. His voice came from directly in front of me.

Hwaaaah—!!

Plum blossoms scattered across the heavens.

Beautiful.

The thought arose on its own.

It was so captivating I wanted to stop and simply watch.

But my body reacted differently, erupting in flames once again.

Because I knew.

I knew exactly how terrifying that plum blossom swordplay could be.

Nine Flames Firewheel.

The raging fire expanded, devouring everything around me.

Trees, rocks, grass.

Nothing was spared; everything was consumed.

But this was no ordinary combustion—it was dissolution.

The sheer heat had become so overwhelming it could melt all matter.

Even the plum blossoms Noya had released vanished within the inferno.

And yet, my eyes remained fixed on Noya.

It was trust.

A firm belief.

That Noya would never be defeated by something like this.

As if answering my unwavering faith, I could feel Noya’s presence within the flames.

“I get you’re excited, but you’ve gotten needlessly large. Did you forget what I told you when you lost your mind last time?”

With those words—

Chwaaaak—!!!

A blade fell from above.

My body was split apart.

A sword dropping from the sky sliced through me.

I managed to retreat a step and avoid a fatal blow, but if I hadn’t moved, it would have killed me instantly.

I glanced at the blade now embedded in the ground.

A Mind Sword.

He had the nerve to criticize me for my size, yet he had just dropped a sword large enough to crush an entire house.

It was ridiculous.

But at the same time, the sheer scale of the Mind Sword reflected the profound depth of the wielder’s mental image.

The fact that Noya could manifest something this immense so effortlessly…

More importantly—

‘Noya never uses just one Mind Sword.’

I lifted my gaze toward the sky.

And there it was.

A radiant sword piercing the night.

A blade that was the absolute opposite of the so-called ‘lowly blade that saved the world’—this one was divine, overwhelming.

I inhaled sharply at its majesty.

How could a mental image be projected so vividly, with such power?

The soaring exhilaration and arrogance that had filled me began to waver.

The vast lake within me started to shrink.

“What are you doing?”

Noya’s voice snapped me back to the present.

I turned to face him.

He stood with his hands behind his back, watching me.

“You’re not supposed to be regaining your senses yet. I dragged you out here, so you should at least perform better than last time, don’t you think?”

“…”

Last time… Was he referring to our duel?

The day I first succeeded in wielding the Cheonma Divine Art?

“Young brat. If this is all you’ve got, I’m disappointed. I’ve spoon-fed you more than enough. Are you really going to let me down with this pathetic showing?”

Despite his harsh words, Noya was smirking.

“…Ah.”

A short exhale escaped me at the sight of that grin.

“Show me. I know you can do more.”

What more could I possibly do?

Why did he have such unshakable faith in me?

I didn’t understand.

But my body was already in motion.

Transcendence, was it?

Had I truly reached that realm?

Then—

There was only one thing left to do.

Sssss—

I stretched out both hands as if grasping something unseen.

No one had ever taught me this.

I had only observed.

I had merely taken it in with my eyes—so what right did I have to believe I knew it?

It was absurd, even to me.

I had never learned it, but I had always yearned for it.

I had always resented him, yet always wanted to become him.

This was the embodiment of that deep desire.

My body overlapped with the image of my father.

Nine Flames Supreme Mountain Five Forms.

“Nine Flames Supreme Mountain Five Forms.”

My voice layered over the memory of my father’s.

Snap.

The sound of embers bursting rang out as blue flames ignited.

Paaaat—!

A brilliant light erupted, bleaching the night sky into pure white.

And within that dazzling new world—

“Well done, you damned brat.”

I heard Noya’s praise.