952 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Bang. Knees buckled under the unbearable pressure, and all that could be seen was the ground, with no ability to lift his head. Thump! Thump! Thump! The sound of a heartbeat reverberated through his entire body. Currently, this was Yu Sa's condition. "Huff… huff…." His breaths came in ragged gasps. Sweat dripped from his face onto the floor with each labored breath. 'Dammit….' How on earth did things end up like this? Why was he in this state? Even now, Yu Sa couldn't comprehend the situation he was in. Why was he kneeling, and why couldn't he utter a single word? He had no idea. Moreover. Creaking! What was this nauseating feeling welling up from within? The lifelong hunger he had felt seemed to have dulled. The constant pangs of hunger had never been so faint. Was he not hungry? No, that wasn't it. It was different. 'This is….' Something had layered over the hunger. Something so heavy and dense that it obliterated all other sensations. What could it be? Deep in thought, Yu Sa realized. '…Fear?' Looking at his trembling fingertips, Yu Sa found the answer. However. 'That's an impossible notion.' Dismissing the thought, Yu Sa shook his head. For him to feel fear? That was impossible. And also. 'Move. Move already.' Even the fact that he was kneeling like this was inconceivable. He was a general. Could a single word suppress him to his knees? And to a mere servant of the Moonlit Night? 'Move.' Move and devour the scoundrel. Consume it entirely, leaving no trace behind. Thinking this, Yu Sa struggled to move his body. Creak--!!! Yet, his body remained immobile. Only the trembling of his fingertips intensified. "Ugh…." He clenched his eyes tightly, feeling like his blood vessels might burst. At that moment. [You look pitiful, struggling so earnestly.] A voice reached out to Yu Sa. [Just like always, witnessing the feeble struggle of the weak is quite unsettling….] His chin was lifted. With a finger, the figure raised Yu Sa's chin. [I can't resist. I want to trample it down.] Upon meeting the violet eyes, Yu Sa's heartbeat pounded even more violently. It seemed as if his entire body pulsed with its beats. [Am I wrong? For me, it is so.] The eyes shifted. Despite the mask, Yu Sa could tell the figure was smiling. It felt humiliating. Utterly humiliating. To think he, a general, would suffer such a thing at the hands of some unknown entity. And beyond everything. 'Just what is this creature?' For something not even a master to be issuing commands to him. Nothing made sense, and it was all bewildering. More than his own feelings, the identity of the entity was what seemed stranger. Orders imbued with spirits required a certain strength and order. Such power should not have been exerted, unless from one of far greater echelon. '…Why.' How could they use an order against him? Yu Sa couldn't understand it at all. Could it be— '…Has the master chosen another general?' The possibility of another general being appointed without his knowledge? Even considering it, Yu Sa quickly shook his head. 'No…. The sacred seed has stopped.' To become a general, one needed to receive the sacred seed. Only by receiving it could one receive the master's baptism. This was the only way to gain the authority to be acknowledged as a general. Unusually, there was Yarangs who received power without the sacred seed, but that was a very special circumstance. The master said it would never happen again, hencewords, there should be no anomaly. If so. 'Then what in the world is it?' As generals, issuing orders to each other was out of the question. Unless the level of the spirit was uniquely profound, it couldn't be explained. '…What is this?' No matter how much Yu Sa pondered, he couldn't solve the mystery, causing him to frown. Just then. Clunk! “…!” Suddenly, the pressure on Yu Sa's body disappeared. Realizing the suppression had lifted, he felt freedom return to his body. What was this? Why had the pressure vanished? Though he sensed something was amiss, he had no time to dwell on it. Yu Sa glanced back at the figure. The figure continued watching him. Yu Sa gathered the strength he had been holding back. Crick. The dread within his body faded away. The insatiable hunger surged upwards. He was ravenous. He had to consume the creature before him immediately. Without hesitating further. 'Devour it all.' Yu Sa grinned, curling his lips upward and swung his hand. A massive arm moved towards the figure. "Gluttony." As Yu Sa spoke, cracks appeared on the large palm. Rip! It opened wide, resembling a mouth. It lunged forward, seeking to devour the figure. 'Whatever it is. I'll consume it.' Regardless of what it was, ingesting it would suffice. Now that his shackles were gone, nothing would be spared. His powers allowed him to consume anything. And this creature was no exception. Thinking this, Yu Sa's hand reached for the entity. Crunch! “…What?” Yu Sa let out a cry. He couldn't help it. What should have consumed the figure was now bitten by something instead. "What the…?" The shape was black. Something had emerged from the figure's shadow, biting into Yu Sa's arm. Crack. "Grrr!?" Reacting to the pain, Yu Sa quickly pulled his arm back, applying force. Fortunately, he managed to retrieve his arm. Drip. Blood trickled down from Yu Sa's arm to the ground. "…Urgh…." His flesh had been gnawed clean off, leaving teeth marks behind. In that moment, a voice reached the startled Yu Sa, who was now shaking. [Gluttony, is it…? Not bad.] “…You….” The one who uttered the name of his power. Unperturbed, the entity continued to look at Yu Sa. Emerging from the figure's shadow, something slithered up its body like a snake climbing a tree. ‘What on earth… is that?’ A chill ran down his spine. Just witnessing it made his knees feel weak. "You...! What have you done!" [What have I done? We simply did what we are good at.] "Good at…?" [Yes, just as you enjoy consuming.] The black mass crept along its body, coiling around its arm. [I, too, excel in that particular area.] "..." Yu Sa frowned. Could it be? ‘Is it a power as well?’ Could that also be a form of power? Yu Sa glanced at his mauled arm. The excruciating pain gnawed at his body. How could it be so painful? This too was a mystery. ‘…Is it not healing?’ The injured arm showed no signs of regeneration. By now, it should have healed. Yet Yu Sa's arm only delivered pain, with no trace of recovery insight. Recognizing this, Yu Sa shifted his gaze sideways. Beyond the window, he saw the moon shining bright. This confirmed it was indeed nighttime. Then why wasn't he healing? Moreover. "Why won't it move?" His ability to devour—Gluttony—was not activating properly. No matter how much force he exerted, the palm refused to reveal its maw as it did previously. Realizing this, Yu Sa shouted at the figure. "What have you done to me…!" It was that creature. It had done something moments ago. That must be why his powers were not responding. [Hmm.] The figure tilted its head slightly at Yu Sa's words. [I don't even know how much disappointment I should feel.] Those words sank heavily into Yu Sa's chest. Gnash! Eventually, Yu Sa clenched his teeth hard. The figure suddenly turned its back to him. [I sought out the general out of curiosity…. But seeing you now doesn't even make me want to engage.] "What are you saying…?" What did that mean? Could it be— "Are you planning to flee just like this?" Yu Sa growled at the figure turning its back on him. [Flee?] The figure turned its masked face slightly towards Yu Sa and added. [Fleeing is not something to be heard from the weak.] There was no need to run away from the likes of you. That's what it meant. [Yes, if I had to call it something….] The figure pondered for a moment as if contemplating, then spoke. [A refusal. I don't eat things that don't taste good.] "You…!!" Rage surged to the top of Yu Sa's head at those words, and he tried to muster all his strength. Crack! "Argh…!!" The intense pain in his arm constantly blocked his energy flow. The power did not manifest, and his energy refused to move. Furthermore. "Huff…huff…." Something seemed wrong with his body, as even his breathing became increasingly labored. Yu Sa wobbled as he gripped his knees, and the figure, seeing this, turned back once more. [Next time, I hope you can entertain me better.] The figure grabbed the door and stepped outside. Just before the door closed, the figure spoke. [There is no second mercy.] Bang. As soon as those words were uttered, the door slammed shut. "Ugh…." Yu Sa hurriedly tried to get up. The strange feeling in his body had quickly subsided in that instant. Rushing to the door, he forcefully opened it to look outside. "…Where—! Where did it go!" The corridor outside the door was empty. On the barren path, Yu Sa frowned, scanning for any signs. However. "Damn it…!!" He couldn't sense anything, though he should have. Apparently, the power malfunction had affected his senses as well. "That bastard! How dare they…!" Yu Sa's eyes turned vicious as his blood surged. Where had it gone? He needed to find it immediately. Rolling his eyes for a moment, Yu Sa suddenly stiffened his gaze at a certain direction. He focused sharply on the prison within the Blue Family. He didn't hesitate. Yu Sa sprinted toward the prison with speed faster than the wind. ************* Bang! Yu Sa crashed into the prison, bursting the door open. No one attempted to stop him. The soldiers in the prison had vanished amidst the sudden chaos. Besides, Yu Sa had deliberately kept the soldiers away for this. In that situation, Yu Sa rushed into the prison, staring intensely through the cell bars. However. "…What…." What he saw inside was a far cry from his expectations. "Why…?" Yu Sa widened his eyes at what he found. In there. "Huh?" The black-haired woman they had captured sat quietly. Next to her was— "…Hmm…. What is it…? Is it morning?" The young man lying there was slowly waking up. The one who had introduced himself as Cheol Jiseon was rubbing his eyes groggily. "…" "Oh, have you returned…?" Cheol Jiseon greeted him nonchalantly. Yu Sa frowned at him. The bars remained intact, and the shackles were unchanged. There were no signs of them having left. So then. "…Was it not you?" "Excuse me?" "I'm asking if the one I encountered was you. Answer." "Suddenly, what are you talking about…." "Answer me!" Yu Sa's booming voice echoed through the prison. Cheol Jiseon, caught off guard, answered hastily. "I'm not sure what you're implying, but no, it wasn't me. I've been here the whole time." "…" Again, he denied it. Could it really be true? ‘…The masked one was also immune to my orders.’ That creature with the mask hadn't responded to his authority, so this young man might have been immune as well. ‘Could it truly be him?’ Yu Sa pondered deeply. Somehow, his instincts kept pointing toward him. If so. "There’s something I need to confirm with you." He needed to confirm it. As that thought crossed his mind, Yu Sa started to exert his power. "General-!" A voice called out to him from outside. "Look at the sky--!" "…!" Upon hearing the words, Yu Sa quickly opened the door and looked up at the sky. And there. "That devil…!" Under the black night sky and crimson-hued moon, someone hovered above, looking down at the scene below. It was him. The one who had humiliated and mocked him, that very individual was now looking down from the sky. "You bastard!!" Bang! Yu Sa immediately launched himself into the air, his feet pounding the ground as he leaped. He slashed at the figure with razor-sharp claws. Whack! But his claws sliced through nothing. It was as though he was slashing through empty air, a hollow sensation following his failed attack. "What…?" Why did it feel like this? Yu Sa was perplexed, his expression dazed by the failure of his assault. [General, like I said before.] The figure continued speaking to Yu Sa with the same detached demeanor. [There won’t be a second mercy. Better not disappoint me next time we meet.] With that, the figure dissipated like mist. "Where, where did you go?" Yu Sa exposed his fangs and roared after witnessing the vanishing act. "Where did you go—!!" Thwack—!!! A powerful gust surged from his enraged shout. It was truly formidable. Strong enough to affect not just the mansion but to rush through the prison as well. "Hmm." Feeling that immense gust, Cheol Jiseon. Or rather, Gu Yangcheon secretly wiped the blood from his lips, a sense of certainty filling him. ‘I could kill him.’ He was certain he could kill the general.