870 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

In the chaotic forest, nothing within a radius of one mile remained intact. Trees that had once shielded the surroundings lay shattered and crumbled, and the rocks that intermittently adorned the landscape were now completely destroyed. Amidst this devastation, Il Cheonggeom clutched his chest, blood pouring from the wound. “Cough...!!” Blood flowed down, soaking the ground swept by turmoil. His expression contorted with pain, betraying the severity of his condition. His body was in shambles. An already frail state had been further ravaged. His left arm no longer functioned properly, and his breathing was erratic. Even the slightest lapse would cause his energy to break down entirely. His condition was dire. Yet, despite all, Il Cheonggeom was unable to concede defeat, for the battle was not over. “Heeheehee-ha-ha-ha-ha--!!!” The sound of laughter prompted Il Cheonggeom to react swiftly. Boom! A storm erupted where Il Cheonggeom had been standing, the impact creating a crater as the spear raked the ground. He barely managed to escape, gritting his teeth as his body leapt away. Dust obscured his view, so Il Cheonggeom concentrated his energy into his eyes. In that instant, a flash pierced through the dust. Clang-!! “Argh!” Deflecting the spear with the flat of his sword, the redirected light soared into the sky. Thrown off balance while airborne, he had deflected an attack, but the ordeal was far from over. “Hmph!” The spear swung down like a whip, hammering the sword's surface once more. “Gah!” Il Cheonggeom’s body slammed into the ground. Boom! Without adequate protective energy, the impact resonated painfully through his body, causing him to cough up blood. Pain surged through him, but there was no time to endure it. “Heeheehee---!!” “Dammit...” The attacks were relentless. How was his opponent not tiring? It was unfathomable. ‘Surely my attack connected...!’ It wasn’t entirely one-sided. His counterattack had struck, carving a slash across his opponent’s chest, amidst other inflicted wounds. ‘How can she keep coming?’ She barreled forward without pause, more beast than human. “Hahaha---!!” Boom! Boom-boom--!! Amidst bright laughter, the spear continued its onslaught. Though injured, the relentless energy enveloping the spear showed no sign of waning. Her speed was unchanged, despite her condition. “Damn...!” Il Cheonggeom gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword. The clash of their energies erupted in cacophonous explosions. Boom--!! “Heeheehee-ha-ha-ha--!!” Though the impact was significant, the young woman pressed forward, undeterred, causing the darkness within Il Cheonggeom's expression to deepen as he struggled and dodged. He was losing ground in the fight. Initially, he believed victory was possible. Despite his compromised state, he could not have imagined faltering to such a fledgling opponent. Yet. ‘What is this girl?’ It was a thought as he twisted his body to evade the spear. She fought without any discernible pattern. ‘How can it be so chaotic?’ No tactics existed. It was an endless array of unpredictable moves. Even more so. ‘No concern for injury...’ Regardless of retaliation, she advanced heedlessly, willing to take severe damage to strike. Though he had inflicted some harm. ‘...She didn’t tire.’ The young woman pressed on, seemingly impervious to pain. Was it possible that his seemingly successful attack had failed? ‘No.’ Witnessing her reckless charge, Il Cheonggeom affirmed his assessment. The evidence was clear, evident by the bloodstains soaking her white garment. The amount seemed greater than his own. ‘And yet, she charges in?’ With such blood loss, the pain should have been excruciating. How could she continue in such a manner? It was beyond comprehension. “Damn...!” With flames in his eyes, Il Cheonggeom swung his sword. Sword energy infused the blade, casting a blue gleam like moonlit waves. Il Cheonggeom’s true strength filled the strike. “Ha!” He swung twice through the air, an X-shaped energy burst forth. Surely she would evade. He'd used extra force to create an opening. “Heehee...! Ha-ha-ha--!!” Instead, she laughed even harder, cloaking herself in energy. ‘No way...!?’ Seeing her reinforcing herself with energy, a sense of dread prickled over Il Cheonggeom. Boom--!! “This crazy--!!” She charged through the attack headlong, deflecting the sword energy. “Haha--!!” “This insane woman...!” The distance between them vanished in an instant. Il Cheonggeom attempted to swing his sword, but the shock left him vulnerable. His strike deflected weakly and the spear embedded itself in his abdomen. Thud--!! “Ungh...!” The force brought him to his knees. The spear was quickly withdrawn, having pierced through his belly. “The pain...” Pain flooded him, his consciousness beginning to blur. “Heehee... heeheehee” Laughter echoed around him. Beyond his struggling consciousness, he saw the spear. It loomed forward, aimed at piercing his head. Death loomed. Death was upon him. ‘Ah.’ So this was death. A fate befitting one who had forsaken justice and honor to align with dark paths. Such a trivial end, in such a place. ‘No, this cannot be.' He did not want to die. There was still much he had to accomplish. Especially not this futile death. ‘...Please.’ He wished to live. In that moment of thought... “Enough.” Before the spear could reach Il Cheonggeom’s head, a voice intervened. Thwack! “Argh!” A kick landed in the young woman’s stomach, halting her attack and sending her flying into a tumble on the ground. “Oof...!” The woman groaned in pain, a sound that seemed out of place after her unfazed reaction to all other attacks. Il Cheonggeom, puzzled by her vulnerability to a seemingly simple strike, looked on. "You lost, didn't you?" A voice, tinged with laughter, reached him. It was Gu Yangcheon. "And you lost pathetically too. Like an idiot." "..." "You were so confident before. Look at your sorry state now." "You... bastard..." Il Cheonggeom glared at Gu Yangcheon, his eyes filled with grievance, only to see his smile widen. "What? Do you think you would've won if you were in perfect shape? Sure, maybe you would have." Gu Yangcheon didn't deny it because it was true. If Il Cheonggeom had been in top condition, Bong Soon would likely have been defeated. After all, no matter how wild she was, there were limits she couldn't surpass. However, "But you chose to wield your sword. This current state is the result of your choice, isn't it?" “Urgh… you…” The laughter pierced with an aching intensity, the scorn and disdain stinging sharply in the present situation. “Ow… It hurts! Why'd you hit me?” Bong Soon, who’d been knocked aside, rose, grumbling in indignation. "You said I could kill him! Why stop me?" “Sigh...” Gu Yangcheon heaved a deep sigh and swung his fist. Thud! “Ack!” Blood flowed more from the crown of her head as Bong Soon staggered as if her legs gave out. Seeing this, Gu Yangcheon grabbed her arm to steady her. "If you went on any longer, you'd end up dead too. Do you even realize the current state of your body and push yourself accordingly?" “Eeeek… It feels good.” “...Damn it." Hearing her response, Gu Yangcheon let her go in disgust, his face full of revulsion. “Ugh…” He then wiped his hands as if ridding himself of filth and spoke to her. "Didn't I tell you not to fight just because you don't feel pain? How come you never understand?" Not feeling any pain? Upon hearing this, Il Cheonggeom finally started to piece things together. Was that why she repeatedly charged forward despite being wounded? ‘But why that reaction to him?’ Why did she react so differently to blows from Gu Yangcheon? Despite being hardly fazed by his sword attacks, she seemed genuinely pained by Gu Yangcheon's hits. As questions swirled in his mind, with the woman grinning contently in the background, Gu Yangcheon approached Il Cheonggeom. "Cough." Il Cheonggeom struggled to keep his increasingly blurred consciousness intact, realizing that if he continued like this, his energy would quickly deplete. This would lead to an inevitable death. At that moment... Buzz--!! Gu Yangcheon suddenly stepped forward, channeling energy into Il Cheonggeom, which began to staunch his wounds. With his breathing calming slightly and the pain somewhat easing, Il Cheonggeom was finally able to take a deep breath. “Ugh… Huff… Huff…” His condition improving, Il Cheonggeom looked at Gu Yangcheon with trembling eyes. “Why…?” Why was he saving him? As he was about to ask... “You shouldn't die like this.” Gu Yangcheon met his gaze and spoke. “It’s a pity to die here. You’ve done too much for it to end so lightly.” “…!” The words sent a shiver down Il Cheonggeom’s spine. The emotions in his voice made it feel like his barely recovered breath was catching again. “You need to crawl a bit longer before you die. That’s why I’m saving you.” He was sincere. Il Cheonggeom was convinced of the sincerity in his words. Fear gripped his heart, a sense that something more terrifying than death awaited him if this continued. Fear surged through him. “Th-this…” Grip! “Ugh!” Il Cheonggeom found his neck seized. As he attempted to bite his own tongue, Gu Yangcheon thwarted him. “Nope. We had a deal, right? I said I'd let you live if you won, but you lost, so now you're mine to deal with as I please.” “Heurk… H-heinous bastard…” “Oh, still on about that?” “It’s a false charge!” “There’s evidence, so why the nonsense.” Il Cheonggeom cried out indignantly at Gu Yangcheon’s words. “…I have no ties to the Demonic Cult... That’s...!” “Oh, that one?” Everything else fits, but... not the Demonic Cult? This was, again, true. He indeed had no ties to the Demonic Cult. If he had, there was no way Gu Yangcheon wouldn’t have known. Of course. “Until just before this, anyway.” Until just then, that is. “But.” Gu Yangcheon pulled something from his robes as he spoke. Il Cheonggeom's eyes widened at the sight. It was a mask he had seen before. A seemingly insignificant mask, but Il Cheonggeom could never forget it. As Gu Yangcheon donned the slightly cracked white mask... Creak--!! His body began to transform. He grew bulkier, his physique altered noticeably. What was already a significant stature expanded close to eight feet tall, and his hair appeared to lengthen oddly. He seemed like an entirely different person. In this absurd situation, Il Cheonggeom could not even close his mouth. “…Y-you… how…” His appearance was unmistakable. He had ravaged Hanan so thoroughly that the current Martial Alliance regarded him as their principal enemy. “Cheonma.” As Il Cheonggeom stared at Gu Yangcheon and named the presence, [Things are different from now on.] Cheonma responded. Not just his body, even his voice had changed. With renewed strength, his grip around Il Cheonggeom’s throat intensified. Feeling this, Il Cheonggeom murmured. “By the heavens…” If there truly was a deity, grant him one more chance. Somehow, he had to convey this matter to the Alliance. He begged as he spoke, yet. [Ha-ha.] Hearing Il Cheonggeom's plea, Gu Yangcheon let his repressed smile reemerge. [There's no such thing as a god.] A surge of energy rose from his fingertips. [If such a thing existed, there’s no way vile creatures like you or me would have been allowed to live.] Withholding such thoughts, the engulfing demonic energy enveloped Il Cheonggeom. Comments 1. 연우 2024.10.28 08:26 Report I wonder how they're going to use him now that he's been turned into a demon? 0 Only logged-in members can post comments. 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