848 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

There are memories that everyone wishes to forget. This applies to martial artists as well. After all, they too are human. Whether they're masters with exceptional skills or novices of a lower realm, there are memories they wish to erase. Memories they wish they could go back and erase, or ones that make them tremble just from recalling them. And I am no different. Actually, if I were to compare, I dare say mine are far worse. I wished not just to erase those memories, but to tear them into shreds and burn them away until no trace remained. So they could be buried and forgotten, never to resurface. Tragically, the more I wished this, the more these memories began to tighten around my throat. My foolish mind forgets so many things, yet insists on clinging to these bitter memories. In that case, perhaps this is a form of karma. A burden to remember until the very end, one I'm not allowed to forget. An unforgettable memory has become my burden. A shackle that constricts me for life, that memory was mine. Particularly, that godforsaken shackle was standing right before my eyes. In the exact form it had taken back then. ******* Torn and worn black martial arts uniform. Old and ragged, I wrinkled my nose just looking at it. "Damn it. Don't you wash anything, you bastard? The stink of blood reeks." The scent of blood wafts heavily from the clothes. I haven't smelled something so putridly metallic in a long time. Did I ever wear something like that? It couldn’t be. Even if I lived recklessly, I would have washed it if it got that bad... ‘...Or would I?’ I refuted, but then it suddenly came to mind. Was it during the war with the Kunlun sect? There was a time when I'd killed so many that the blood pooled, and my clothes were drenched. Perhaps they did look like this back then. Taking that into consideration, it becomes clearer. ‘What a sight.’ The world seems to be filled with dissatisfaction, and the raised eyes only add to the fierce appearance. Without any intent to conceal it, the aura of demonic energy seemed to be radiating incessantly. The atmosphere was so thick and oppressive that just coming close felt as if you’d be killed. Watching it, I couldn’t help but laugh. "It really is something seeing it again. What are you, a wild beast? Why the hell are your eyes so wide open? Damn it, no wonder they pegged me for things I never did because of that look." And what about the murderous intent? The suffocating pressure enveloping the area, the weight subtly pressing on the shoulders, all of this devastating presence was from that bastard. As I've previously mentioned, murderous intent deepens with higher mastery, but so does the ability to conceal it. "But you never bothered to hide it, did you?" I finally walked across the hard floor, shaking my head. "Why did you do it? I often pondered, you know?" The eyes clearly focused on me. Eyes filled with murderous intent, drenched in inferiority and self-deprecation. I wanted to rip them out immediately. "I thought about it deeply, both broadly and narrowly, but the conclusion remains." Thud, thud, thud---!!! The vibrations intensified the closer I got to the throne. "Just because you were a fool. That's all there is to it, dumbass." Why was it that way? If asked for a reason, this is the only answer I could give. Hoping someone would see me as a villain. Or perhaps wanting to be acknowledged as being here at all. I abandon those trivial reasons. They were far too dazzling and excessive for me. Just because the person was foolish, crawling on the ground inadequately, unable to find another method, that’s all I knew. That was the right way to put it. So. "Hey, fool. Say something at least." You are indeed a fool. This was something I had long wanted to say. Yet he stood there silently like a stone. "You're not mute, are you? You spoke well last time; why are you keeping your mouth shut now?" He didn’t seem paralyzed, either. His unblinking eyes were on me, and the vibrations continued intensifying. Rumble, rumble, rumble---!!! The ground's shivers were so profound it felt as though the world slightly quaked. Tsk! I clicked my tongue briefly and addressed him. “After inviting me all this way, are you really just playing coy?” I was summoned. His eyes revealed a glint upon hearing that. “What, do you want to say I wasn’t invited? Don’t bullshit. You know it, and I know it.” It was as I said. Though it appeared I came of my own accord, it wasn’t like that. This was clearly an invitation. “How could I not notice with all that uproar happening inside?” To thrust my face in, to confront me like this. That strange feeling of demonic magic. The inability to use my flame techniques. All of it was his doing. Yet. “Now that I’m here, speak. Why are you making such a fuss?” Why go so far to see me? And. “How were you even able to come to this Poison Pill place? Don’t you think the price for the ticket was pretty damn high?” Why the Poison Pill? Well, calling it a Poison Pill doesn’t quite fit. Since it only increases resistance to flame techniques... more accurately, it’s a Fire Pill or an Igniting Pill? In any case, my prediction that this costly item granted me entry panned out. I stood there, proving that by facing him. “You bastard. Do you have any idea how much that damn thing costs….” [You talk too much.] “What?” I scowled at his words as they interrupted my grumbling. “What did you say?” Talk too much? This son of a...? As I prepared to unleash my verbal prowess, which I thought was my most talented endeavor. [Once, you claimed you couldn’t bear hearing your own voice and kept quiet. Now you have the energy to chatter?] “...” I choked on my unsaid curses, my throat twitching with swallowed words. But it didn't end there. [Do you still have that habit of grinding your teeth to bite your tongue?] It was an involuntary action I took when doing something I loathed. [Is your gut still rumpled to hide what’s inside? If not...] Gu Yangcheon's purple eyes gleamed intensely. I wanted to turn away from that hideous gaze. [Did you leave your fangs exposed so no one would approach you?] Once his lips opened, he continued to drown me in words. The burden of his words was so heavy that I couldn't even bear them. Creak. He rose from his throne. [No, you have nothing now.] The figure that stood from the throne was small. Having shed my past self to become a dragon, I had grown a head taller. Thus, I was much taller than him now. Yet, somehow he felt larger than me. Looking down on him, it made no sense. Then why did I feel this way? Squinting, I looked at him. He continued to speak. [Why are you still alive?] A question I’d heard before. With great difficulty, I responded. "Why does this damned bastard keep cursing me? Is the fact that I'm still alive that irritating to you?" [It was the opportunity you always wanted.] "What opportunity?" [A chance to punish yourself in a time where nothing happened. That was your chance.] His voice dripped with a sentiment of utter disbelief. [So why didn't you take it?] "…" I didn't reply. No, I couldn't. Was it because I didn't know the answer? Not at all. I knew the answer; I just didn't want to face it. He seemed to know as he voiced the answer I dreaded. [You got greedy because no one remembered.] My heart ached. [No one would know. You believed you could make it as if nothing happened. Did you hold onto such hope?] Words that had risen to my throat slowly receded down. They vanished, extinguished within me before I could voice them. [And so, you dreamed of happiness? How very filthy.] Even as his expression remained placid, the scorn was palpable, reaching threateningly into my heart. [You have no right.] Words I repeated to myself daily, hearing them from his mouth had a unique impact. [Do you remember all those you killed while claiming you had no choice?] I do not remember. There were too many to recall. Remembering them all would break me. It was a life like that. [Then what did you gain from such a life? After killing your own father with your hands, where did that life lead you? Nowhere. Your life was always meant to end in nothingness.] Nausea surged. I tried hard, swallowing down the bile, but it wasn’t easy. [Then, let me ask again.] Veins bulged in my neck as I struggled. [Why is someone like you still alive?] Even now, I had no answer. “...” Trying to open my mouth, no sound came. Then I realized. I was grinding the thick flesh of my tongue with my teeth. The silence, heavy with bottled-up intent, continued. After several seconds, he nodded and spoke. [You cannot answer.] His tone suggested he expected this outcome. It was infuriatingly smug. At that moment. [Very well, in that case, enough is enough.] Wuuuuu---!!! “…!!” As he concluded, the vibrations intensified dramatically. Simultaneously. Fwoooooooosh---!!!! Vile, dense black flame erupted from him. [If you cannot present an answer.] Without thinking, I moved my legs. [Then die as you are.] The burning night engulfed me. ******************** “…Tsk.” It had been roughly half a day since Gu Yangcheon swallowed the Spirit Pill. Not a lengthy time passage, yet Poison King had been sighing shallow breaths with a worried expression. ‘…Is it really alright to leave him as is?’ The concern stemmed from Gu Yangcheon, who was with him. After swallowing the Spirit Pill, Gu Yangcheon froze in place and closed his eyes. For the entirety of the half-day that followed, he made no movement whatsoever. He wasn’t even breathing. He wouldn’t be still if he were breathing, and that made it even more concerning. ‘He was like this last time, too.’ When they had first successfully crafted the Poison Emperor's Pill, Gu Yangcheon behaved similarly after swallowing the Spirit Pill. Fortunately, he regained consciousness soon after back then. Yet now, far more time had passed. Why was it different this time? ‘Was there something wrong with the Pill?’ It couldn’t be, as I had consumed the same and surpassed a hurdle. So why is it only happening to Gu Yangcheon? Despite his doubts, Poison King could do nothing. Because of Gu Yangcheon's last request. -No matter what happens, please do not interfere. Gu Yangcheon had earnestly requested with a firm expression. Poison King wanted to honor that request. But. “What in the world is going on?” By this point, he couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore. Particularly. ‘The energy…’ While Gu Yangcheon stood still, the energy within him visibly churned. That hadn’t happened the previous time. ‘And this amount…’ The degree of turbulence was alarming. Even a simple glance matched the entire energy reserve Poison King possessed. That meant Gu Yangcheon contained several times more internal energy than him. ‘How is this possible…?’ Poison King had never seen such an overwhelmingly enormous internal energy before. Perhaps even when considering all the revered masters, his level seemed unmatched. And that fueled his concern. “Why is such a huge amount of energy surging like this?” What was creating such a tumultuous storm within him as he stood silently? It felt like a battle being waged, only through sheer presence alone. Moreover, his occasional winces gave an impression of enduring attacks. The scene mirrored a martial artist engaged in a fierce battle. If indeed he was battling, what was he fighting within that state? Poison King couldn’t grasp it no matter how much he pondered. He continued to grapple with his thoughts. ‘Should I really just leave him alone?’ Even though he’d been told not to interfere, should he truly leave him as he is? In Poison King’s mind, Gu Yangcheon was a person who kept his word. So, he decided it was best to trust him for now, albeit reluctantly. Still. -Dad. The face of his daughter, who was infatuated with that damned boy, flashed before his eyes. If something were to happen here, that child would crumble. Certain of this thought, the Poison King took action. He couldn't just stand by and watch. He approached carefully. With the energy in such a volatile state, a careless touch could bring about a disaster. First, he needed to assess the aura up close. With this mindset, the Poison King moved closer to Gu Yangcheon... and then. Flash-! “…Gasp!” Gu Yangcheon suddenly opened his previously closed eyes. Thankfully, he seemed to have regained consciousness. Just as the Poison King was feeling relieved internally. "Young master Gu, are you...?" "Gah." Gu Yangcheon suddenly clutched his chest, collapsed to his knees, and fell. “Guhuk…!” He began coughing up mouthfuls of blood. "Young master Gu!" The Poison King's eyes widened as he shouted. There was so much blood it soaked the ground thoroughly. And it was black.