842 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The fallen man on the ground let out a bizarre scream. Clutching his shattered jaw and dragging himself along the floor, he looked truly wretched. Blood and saliva dripped from his crushed jaw. His bloodshot eyes revealed just how much agony he was in. And then. "What the hell is this bastard saying?" Thud-! "Gugh…!" I snarled as I stomped on the man's head. "You're really pushing it." "Urhhh…." "If you're going to talk nonsense, you should at least keep it to yourself. Don't you think?" I could feel him trembling. Was he trying to raise his body somehow? It wasn't even amusing. Crunch-! "Aaaah---!!!" When I kicked his calf, his leg bent at an abnormal angle. It seemed he had quickly fortified himself with aura just before being hit. If not, his leg would have been completely torn off. He had some sense, it seemed. 'What a shame.' I didn't plan to merely snap it. Should I just tear it off since it's come to this? The thought crossed my mind but I held back. "Urhhh…." The man made feeble groans. I turned my head from him and spoke. "Stop." ---!! At my command, those who were poised to rush at me froze. Around me, members of the Azure Dragon Division had already encircled me. Judging by their stance, they had been ready to attack at any moment…. "Don't take a single step. Can't you see I'm in a conversation right now?" "Urhhh…." I grabbed the nameless guy by the neck and lifted him up. His blood-smeared appearance was as miserable as it could get. "If you move, you'll die. This guy, and anyone who moves." I injected a lethal intent into my voice. To me, it felt like perhaps I had overdone it a little. However, maybe it worked, as I saw the bodies of those hesitating fully freeze. Even amidst that, there were those with some resolve who tried to make signals to find an opening. "If you think this is a joke, try me. See what happens." Watching them warily, I spoke and saw them cower under the pressure. The emitted killing intent didn't stop, and the pressure upon them increased with the aura I quietly released. At that moment. "D, Daemyo…." Someone approached to speak to me. It was Song Ho-jung, who, along with Tang Sohyeol, served as the deputy leader in the present Sacred Dragon Division. He approached with a completely troubled expression, so I raised a hand to stop him. "Stay back. I need to have a word with this guy right now." "But…." "I'll listen to what you have to say later, so shut your mouth and stay back. I said later. Is my order difficult?" "...Ah…no…. I’ll stand by." Song Ho-jung stepped back. His overly timid expression irritated me quite a bit. Thus, I kept feeling my grip tightening. "Hey, you stubborn bastard." "Arg…urk!" "Keep going with what you were saying earlier. What?" The guy in my grasp trembled violently at my words. "I'm asking you, what did you say? Speak up?" No words came, no matter how much I asked. Naturally so. With his jaw smashed to bits, he couldn't possibly speak properly. I knew this too, but it didn't matter at all. "Disregarding someone… Now my words seem trivial, don't they? Hey. Does the leader's word sound insignificant?" "Urgh…ah..." "What are you muttering about? Speak clearly." Bang-! I slammed his head into the ground. A cracking sound followed by a light spray of blood. "Eek!!" "D-Deputy Leader…!" Those watching flinched at the jarring sound. I wiped the blood splatter off my cheek and spoke to them. "He's not dead, so there's no need to panic. Would I kill someone from the same martial alliance?" Though I said it with a smile, for some reason, the atmosphere only soured. Ah. This was disappointing. "I only wanted to have a conversation, yet your eyes are so cute. Not happy with what you're hearing? Then go ahead and try retaliating." I spoke as I stood up. The man in my grip seemed to have lost consciousness from the incident. Blood was flowing excessively, but…. He shouldn’t be dead. 'Roughly half a zichen, I’d say.' Not long, about that much. He should be able to hold on to his breath for that long. After all, he was something of a master. Moreover. 'That amount of time should be just right.' Half a zichen was just enough time to tidy up the surroundings. Step. I took a step forward. Instantly, the members of the Azure Dragon Division went on full alert. It was a perfect stance ready to draw their swords at a moment's notice. Which basically meant this was the stance they would take against an enemy. "Hmm. Aren't we supposed to be on the same side? Shouldn’t act like this, right?" I shook my hand lightly as I walked. Drops of blood fell. Of course, it wasn't my blood, but the blood of the fallen man. Seeing this, their wariness was more intense than ever. I understood if it was absurd to call them the same side after putting someone in such a state? But I had my defense for this part. “Well, he talked so recklessly that it felt like he was asking for a beating. There's an old saying that a mad dog is quieted with a stick.” What did he say again? A bunch of useless insects... or something like worthless trash. Something like that. He even said there was a different level among the deputy leaders, didn't he? ‘I can’t say that's completely wrong.’ I don’t deny this. There was indeed a difference in levels. The Sacred Dragon Division was a unit that had been established for less than a year. The Azure Dragon Division had a long history. Not to mention, Song Ho-jung and that moron were at very different levels in their martial progression. Song Ho-jung was nearing the peak while that bastard was comfortably past that peak. If you count each of these points and say they’re on different levels, I wouldn’t deny it myself. ‘But saying it out loud is another story.’ This meant, either they were ready to declare outright war… Or that they didn't even consider me a person. "Don’t you agree?" "..." "..." I asked again, but silence was the only answer. They seemed to be remarkably tight-lipped. Or perhaps, like a proper sect, they decided to clamp their mouths shut when things turned in their favor? "It doesn’t make sense to me." I couldn't understand their demeanor. "Why do they keep creating trouble? I didn't even ask for anything big." Swish-! As I stepped closer, I finally heard the sound of swords being drawn. Multicolored lights whirled around in the night. "I don't have to get along with everyone. Can't we just shut up and do our own business? How is that so difficult?" What was the problem? I didn't know. "...Sacred Dragon Division Leader. If you come any closer…!" Frankly, it didn't matter if I didn't know. Hasn't it always been like this since long ago? "So what happens if I come closer? Are we going to have a knife fight? Sounds good to me." Regardless of the reason, if something displeased me, I'd break it. I've always wanted to cause chaos, but there was only one reason I held back. 'Because I am weak.' I was weak, and if I acted without thinking, I wouldn't be able to handle the consequences. How about now? Unfortunately, it remained the same. This thought hadn't changed. In the heart of Jungwon, I was still weak. Even if there were fewer stronger than me, countless variables existed, and within those gaps, I remained vulnerable. There was no help for this. I had too many things to protect, too many duties to fulfill, so I naturally had to restrain myself. However. 'No matter what.' I could hold back and endure, but handling this one thing was within my control. Boom-! I released my pressure. "Eeek-!!" "Arggh!!?" The energy I unleashed scattered in all directions, causing a gale-force wind to surge. The wind enveloped the whole area, forming a barrier as if defining a certain space. "This is impossible…." "How, just with energy…!" How much energy would it take to pull off such a feat? They all were martial artists, so they should understand how reckless and unthinkable my actions were. Like when people witness something shocking, fear filled the eyes of those who watched the unfolding scene. Even those who had been openly hostile moments ago were the same. I looked at them without erasing the smile on my face and asked. "Why? Go on, do what you were about to do. You were going to attack, weren't you?" Crack. I loosened my neck. As I continued to approach, the men began to retreat instead. Seeing them timidly retreat, I sighed and asked. "Where are you going?" One of the men at the front hurriedly spoke up at my low voice. "...Sacred Dragon Division Leader. Please, calm yourself." "What?" It was a ridiculous statement. Calm down? "If I were going to calm down, I wouldn't have done this in the first place." "I understand your anger, but there seems to be a misunderstanding… Let's talk first…." "Talk, my ass." I stomped on the ground and launched myself forward. The view shifted rapidly. My hand was already moving by then. Snap-! "Gah!" I grabbed the talking man's neck and lifted him. "Urgh…!" The man struggled and resisted weakly, but ultimately was lifted helplessly. "If you were going to do something, you should have done it earlier. It's too late now." "...Please... listen to... us…." "Sure, you guys might have your reasons." There must have been some issue that led to this situation. Of course, they must have felt wronged and frustrated. "But I'll hear that from my subordinate later. Right now, this is more important." Honestly, I didn't care at all. Right now, venting my emotions came first. I clenched my fist tightly. Energy surged through it. A simple qi infusion. No flames covered it, but this was enough. I twisted my waist, putting strength into my shoulder. I planned to swing my fist. If that happened... the guy in my grip would. 'He'll die.' His organs would rupture, leading to death. And I planned to do the same to the others nearby. I would kill them all. Not a single one would leave here alive. With that thought in mind, as I was about to swing my fist. "...Huh?" Before my outstretched fist could meet his stomach, my movement came to a halt. Fwoosh---!! The energy focused on my fist dispersed with a wave. At the same time, I released the grip of my hand. "Gah…!" The man whose neck I had gripped fell to the ground, gasping for air, and I glanced down at my hand and the man. 'What was that?' What was I about to do? Realizing the strange feeling, I widened my eyes. 'Was I going to kill them all?' I was, without a doubt. I had planned to kill the man in my grip and every individual around me. If I hadn't held back my punch just now, this guy would’ve died. And subsequently, I would have truly killed everyone around too. It was an intense desire. A compulsion to kill at all costs. Feeling this sent chills down my back. "Oh, this is a mess." I ran a hand down my face. It was difficult to regain my composure. The fact that I intended to kill them all wasn’t the issue. It wasn’t impossible, and I was genuinely angry too. However, the problem lay in the fact that the thought and intent to kill weren't mine. Even if I beat them up to release my anger, if it were me, I wouldn't have killed them. Killing my own troops would make things troublesome for me as well. Knowing this clearly, I had planned to stir things up within manageable limits. 'Why did I attempt to kill them…?' Why had I acted that way just now? Frowning at the lingering aftermath of emotions. The murderous intent I felt was real. It was truly a heart set on killing them all. Like stamping out a pesky bug, all I thought was to get these disgusting things away from my eyes immediately. 'What is this?' These weren’t my emotions. It wasn’t my intent. Something popped inside and momentarily seized my thoughts. ‘What in the world.’ What could this possibly be? As mysteries began to sprout, a scene I had previously witnessed sprang to mind. -Why am I alive? That moment in my past life when I faced her. "Could it be…?" Just when I felt like I was onto something. Shhh---!! Boom---!! The barrier created by the swirling energy around me was impacted and wavered. More than just wavering, it tore slightly, as if ripping apart. Fwwwiiish---!!! From that gap, accompanied by a cyan flash, the tip of a blade drove towards me. Immediately, I twisted my body to widen the distance. The cascade of light struck the spot where I had been, unleashing a fierce explosion. Dust obscured my vision. "...What the hell is this?" A voice just barely restrained, like anger being crushed. The sound from the midst of the dust carried exactly that tone. Whoosh-! With a short, sharp sound, the wind sliced through the air. A gust from a sword swept away the dust entirely. The now-clear vision revealed the face that had been obscured. The one who had broken through the barrier and the owner of the voice was, of course, Il Cheonggeom. He surveyed the situation as if assessing the scene, then, with a deeply furrowed brow, spoke to me. "Have you truly gone mad?" His expression questioned how I could cause such chaos in his territory. Seeing that, I had to rub my face dry once more. "Ah…." This was not good. Realizing my own state made it even clearer. I shouldn't engage with Il Cheonggeom right now. Because. 'I might really kill him.' If I fought now, I felt like I might genuinely lose control and kill Il Cheonggeom.