1070 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Title: The First Friend of the World's Greatest: Chapter 1070 - Northern Rabbit I held the fallen Heavenly Demon and turned my gaze to Yarong. Then, I shifted my eyes to one side, observing the torn dimension where sporadic golden energies gleamed brightly. Something felt different. Although I indeed arrived here through that passage, the sense of dissonance was something I hadn't perceived before. I clutched my chest with my hand. The energy within flowed, and I could feel my condition. The energies originally within me were still scattered in my body. But there was a difference. 'There's no vessel.' The vessel that used to contain the energy was gone. It was as if it was floating aimlessly in the void—an unsettling, intangible form. Though it seemed questionable how this could be, There were too many untold experiences for such doubts. ‘Let me repeat it,’ my ancestor had said. ‘This will only last for a fleeting moment. You must decide before then.’ The time I could endure without the vessel intact was not even half a shichen. It was because I'd asked for more time to think by delaying the choice. In exchange for granting my condition to delay, the ancestor demanded I utter the name Yahua. Sssss. I could feel the energy rising from my body moving independently. It was unfamiliar. Something seemed on the verge of bursting yet didn’t, hanging suspended as if it might scatter at any moment. A discomfort that made it seem as if touching it would make it dissolve. Ignoring it with effort, I spoke to Yarong. “... What are you? Where have you been?” I asked, frowning. We definitely seemed to have arrived together, yet Yarong had been conspicuously absent until now. “What have you been up to?” I swallowed the roiling emotion inside. Though irritated, it wasn’t Yarong’s fault. Not taking part in the fight? That’s not a problem. Initially, this battle wasn’t really one Yarong was supposed to interfere in, and my irritation was merely a misplaced outlet. I hadn’t been able to ask the Heavenly Demon what I needed to, nor could I contend with the issues arising with Shin Noya accompanying me. Such frustrations boiled over in this unfamiliar realm, leading to these feelings. Shouting would be mere venting, so I tried to suppress it. ZGVPdDc2cnQxMFU0bVlrbnZITXlVdWUreTBweXd3WnBtOXdDT1h6RkhLekxvWU11c0ZwbkR5ZTdjVEltVkhUQw “What are you? Are you really the divine sword?” “...” Yarong didn’t answer my question. She never had from the beginning. Didn’t even my mother say it? While it was made with her soul and energy, in the end, it was a being cloaked in oblivion. She said it remembered nothing, neither about me nor about itself. “... Damn. That cursed oblivion.” Whether it was the Heavenly Demon, the ancestor, or even my mother. Why they were all so bound by this oblivion, I couldn’t fathom. “... Haaa.” With a deep sigh, I looked at Yarong. She still just stared at me from behind her white mask. “Is there a point in asking you anything?” Though my actions from frustration had no nourishment, I knew they were pointless. “...” I looked at the Heavenly Demon in my arms. Lying as if dead, yet seeing her chest faintly rise was proof she wasn’t dead. I cradled her and stood up. As I surveyed the surroundings in that state— “Cough!” “...!” I heard a sound from one side. Turning my head, I saw a turtle leaning against the collapsed debris. “Elder…!” I approached him. “Ugh.” As I neared, I could hear the soft groans of the turtle. His condition was beyond a mess. Thankfully, the bleeding seemed to have been stopped, but he was clearly badly injured. ‘It’s the doken.’ The presence surrounding the turtle's body was of the doken. I realized it belonged to Shin Noya. I approached and extended my hand. Ommm-! I infused more strength into the dwindling energy. “Hooo…” As the energy flowed in, the turtle exhaled the breath he had held. “Are you alright?” “... Do I look it?” He certainly didn’t look it. “Ugh… I'm done for. I shouldn’t have meddled in useless things.” “Please, just rest for now…” Trying to touch him gently, he grabbed my wrist with his handless fingers. “That worthless kid… what happened to the Chief?” “...” At his inquiry about Shin Noya, my body stiffened. Seeing my reaction, the turtle chuckled softly. “Seems he’s gone.” His response was casual and straightforward. It wasn’t as if he was surprised by Shin Noya's disappearance. “Always spoke of disappearing anytime. I guess this is that time.” Though ‘completely’ gone would be incorrect, he might as well have been. Squeeze. I unclenched my fist, removed the turtle’s hand, and placed my palm on his chest. “I’m going to borrow this for a moment.” Ssssss. I blended warmth into the energy. Thankfully, the Flaming Wheel Arts had started functioning again. It infused heat into his body, dulling the pain and boosting regeneration. During that time, the turtle glanced back. He saw the chaotic settings surrounding him. “... It’ll take ages to clear up this mess.” “...” I met the turtle’s gaze at his words. “Elder.” “What is it?” “... Are you planning to stay here?” “What do you mean?” “This place without Shin Noya.” “Ha.” The turtle looked at me incredulously and spoke. “Whether he's here or not, what does that have to do with me being here?” I chuckled awkwardly at his words. Indeed, that was the case. While whether Noya was here or not might seem inconsequential to the turtle’s association with the sect... 'Is that so?' I pondered; I thought differently. Despite being called an Elder, the turtle hadn’t been making significant contributions, possibly because of Shin Noya. Yet, he seemed intent on staying with the sect even in Noya's absence. “Besides, when that guy isn’t here, wouldn’t someone need to be around?” The turtle groaned and sat up with difficulty, speaking with a weary voice. "You need to return, especially you. Right?" "..." His words pierced through me like thorns. "Don't worry about it. The fool would want it that way too." "...I suppose." Noya had vanished for my sake, and the turtle's casual remark about filling his place, along with my own departure. 'What a mess.' The situation was overwhelmingly daunting. Not just for me, but also for the volcanic mountain. What am I supposed to do with it? "Sigh." Everything felt terribly complex. What should I do? It didn't feel like a time to be lost in my own worries. As I pondered, rolling my eyes in thought. Grip. Yarong suddenly grabbed my wrist, pulling me. "What is it?" As I looked at her with a puzzled gaze, wondering if she had something to say. "Step aside for now... This isn't the time to be talking about such things." Bracing his tired body, the turtle reached out, and the cane lying on the ground flew into his hand. "If we're even a little late, we won't be able to manage it." "Manage what?" "It's already wild enough. At this rate, it's dangerous." The turtle spoke cryptically and waved his hand, from which the cane emanated a glow. Magic? It seemed indeed the turtle was about to use some sorcery. And just after a moment— "Whooo!" Zzzzzzzzz---!!!! Strings of incantation spread across the surroundings with the turtle’s exhalation. Looking at that, I understood—he was intending to raise a barrier. It appeared he was attempting to restore the barrier that had been around the volcano up until now. At that moment— Rumble--!! Rumble---!!! "...!!" Suddenly, the night sky shook. The massive sound, akin to thunder, drew my gaze upward. "This is—!" The turtle appeared visibly taken aback, a hint of panic in his expression. He seemed distinctly troubled. "What's wrong?" When I asked, the turtle’s face twisted as he replied. "... This is serious. Taecheon has become too unruly." "What?" "It seems whatever it is has become aware." "Which..." Confounded, I tried to ask again, but then... From the divine tree within the volcano, something extended outward. Roooooar---!!!! It was a black stem. The enormous god-tree, larger than life, extended its branches to overlay a barrier where the turtle had meant to place one. Is this...? 'Infinite Abyss?' It was the aura of the Infinite Abyss. That overwhelming presence I felt from it was in the barrier. In an instant, the black space engulfed everything around. A darkness seemingly devoid of light. Yet somehow, we could see each other perfectly well within this space. What is this? While I scanned the surroundings, the turtle spoke with a sigh. "The Infinite Abyss, it’s already too late." The turtle was gazing beyond the barrier, seemingly ignoring the chaos enveloping us. "It seems it has indeed become aware." "…Elder, what are you talking about?" "With the tumult caused by the master of other realms, even if in deep slumber, how can it not awaken?" "…So, what exactly is awakening...?" "What else would it be," the turtle said, gripping his cane with a tense expression. "...Of course, it would be the master of this world who sleeps on this land." "…!" The moment his words widened my eyes. Roooooar----!!!!! Boom! The black barrier trembled violently. As if it was struck by something, it shook relentlessly. Crash—bang---! It was not just once. The barrage of impacts continued, one after another. Crack. Crack-crack. Cracks formed in the barrier, and fragments rained down. Thud-!! Black shards shattered upon hitting the ground. And beyond the space where those fragments had been lodged, a glimpse was revealed. "Oh." I let out a small gasp as I caught sight of it. There stood her— A woman possessing snow-white hair, amethyst eyes, and several white-furred tails. "...Mother?" The master of this realm had appeared.