1071 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The Greatest in the World’s Childhood Friend, Chapter 1071 > Northern Hare - Web Novel Archive Rumble--!!! Crack--!!! With a fierce impact, the protective barrier begins to fissure repeatedly. The surrounding space buckles and tumbles down as it disintegrates. Crash. Fragments shatter, falling to the ground and dispersing into dust. Watching this iteration unfold, I knit my brows in frustration. "----!!!" A thunderous roar resonates. It's coming from the direction of the sacred tree. More precisely, from the roots that form the barrier, suggesting that this sound is akin to the Abyss itself. "...This doesn't bode well." The turtle speaks with a voice laced with concern. Whooom-! Light bursts forth from his staff, enveloping the space beneath the Abyss with luminance once more, seemingly in an attempt to reinforce the barrier. However. Kuaaaaaaah---!!! Rumble---!!! Another explosive impact shreds the newly cast barrier to tatters. "Ugh!" The turtle seems to be affected by the shock; his body wavers. Watching this, I rushed to his side. "Elder...!" Thud. Blood trickles from the turtle's mouth. The heat that once suffused him for regeneration dissipates. Despite having amassed considerable energy, it vanished with such suddenness. It signifies a fair amount of recoil exchanged. I was about to channel my energy again when, "…Stay your hand." The turtle grasps my wrist firmly. "We must conceal our energy as much as possible... no, it's too late. If it’s the fox, she's likely aware by now." Clearly troubled, the turtle gazes skyward. Following his gaze, I turn my head to see a woman peering at us from amidst the deep fractures. A small figure levitating in the void. Long, white hair billowing like snow and skin of the same likeness. Accompanied by radiant eyes and several tails. At a glance, it is clear. 'That is a divine entity.' The boundless dignity and transcendent presence exuding from the woman. Is this the divinity our ancestors and Taecheon spoke of? ‘This is an entirely different realm.’ Unlike Taecheon, who borrowed another's body, or the Abyss now upholding the barriers. Merely seeing it reveals the truth of its genuine divinity. Or rather, it eludes the senses. 'So vast it defies perception.' In a realm so altered, standard senses fall short of activation. Despite being in a perilous situation, it harbors a quality that deflects realization. I understood now that such was the nature of this entity. Then, with a face that seems in some way weary, she flicks a finger, moving the aurora that fills the night sky. The aurora, which hovered over the night sky, responded to the woman's beckon and shifted. Rumble---!!! Transformed into a stream of light, it again strikes the barrier forcefully. Crash! The ground quakes once more. "---!!!" The Abyss lets out a howl. As the barrier tries to regenerate, the rate of destruction surpasses it. Boom-! Boom Boom-!! Rumble--!!! Amidst continuous impacts, the land sways, teetering on the verge of collapse. "Abyss." A chill voice echoes through the breach. "What is your purpose here?" A voice devoid of emotion. The source of the descending power. The mistress of the entire realm speaks to the Abyss. "What were you trying to flee from, having shirked the burden you accepted? Was this place all you could manage?" “---!!” "The situation is bleak. I can't understand the reasons, but it seems best to cease now." Hearing the voice alone shakes my soul. Severe. The systemic energies, lacking vessels, react to their mistress’s command, shifting without respite. Devoid of a host to settle in, the assault is felt all the more intensely. "Ugh." My knees buckle. As my body hunches over, perception shifts once more. Heavy. The sensation is palpable, knowing the mistress is watching from afar. When I barely manage to lift my head and gaze at her again. "I see." Her eyes narrow, as if realizing something about me. A chill runs through me. ‘Different.’ It was said she suffered forgetfulness as punishment. Her eyes prove such, appearing as though laced with frost, cold and chilling. No emotion resides. Eyes that resemble those watching a fallen branch or a stone. Vastly different from when Mother regarded me near the sacred tree or in the Central Plains. It was a gaze that vividly underscored another being entirely. "So this is what you’ve been hiding? Back then and even now, was it because of that?" Her fingers move. Krakoom-!!! A flash of lightning is unleashed once more, only this time, it feels more potent than before. "It is a dragon." She means me. "What is your intent in concealing a dragon? Its presence is only the remnants of the Dragon Sovereign's regret." As the words fall, so do further attacks. "Abyss. You know well enough, don’t you? How troublesome the remnants of the Dragon Sovereign can be." Boom! Boom Boom-!!! Each bombardment resonated deeply in my chest. It wasn’t just shock waves; something else stirred, something more. This was. ‘…A resonance.’ Energy within me rebelled. As if it must dash to that place, it thrashed incessantly. Groooowl. Energy coursing violently inside, and the lack of an adequate vessel to contain made it upheave my innards. While puzzled by this question. “Hmm?” The mistress looks at me, tilting her head. "…What is this?" Her puzzled voice reaches me as the relentless bombardment halts momentarily. "This is strange." Her voice draws nearer. The distance remains great, yet her voice bewilderingly closes in. This implies the mistress has now recognized me fully. "The question is." Her voice shifts. "How does the presence of a divine entity of this realm emanate from you?" At that moment, the aura that gathered seemed to alter fundamentally once more. Different from before, its measure escalates again. The air grows heavy with this pervasive energy. Startled, I involuntarily flinch and quiver. Kuaaaaaaah----!!!!! A tremendous impact vibrates through. Bang—!! A massive rift forms as the barrier shatters to pieces. While it tries to regenerate, her step reaches forth first. Tap. By the time I realize, the mistress was already standing on the ground with her foot firmly placed. As the small, white foot touched the ground, a miracle unfolded. Softly. From where her foot landed, vibrant life began to sprout on the ravaged ground. The damaged earth restored itself, and the once heavy air lightened considerably. Tension, however, filled the atmosphere. As I faced her with trembling eyes, she glanced beyond me to where Cheonma stood. "Two dragons, both bearing divine essence." The mistress of the realm inclined her head slightly. "It's strange. How could I not have known?" The darkened sky began to churn. Perhaps because the barrier lost its significance, the scattered energies began to converge. At that moment. "…This isn’t an avatar, is it?" The turtle spoke, gazing at the mistress. "The full presence of Man’s Boundaries... Did you arrive personally?" The mistress turned her eyes to the turtle. "I had to. With such a ruckus, how could I not come?" “…Taecheon was here." At the turtle's words, the mistress's eyes narrowed. "Taecheon?" "Indeed. He came to the realm and stirred things." "That couldn't be." The mistress shook her head. "I sensed none of it." "It's the truth. We—" "Shh." "…!" A soft utterance silenced the turtle. His expression grimaced, as if unable to speak further. "I’m not interested in unnecessary exchanges. Unfortunately, I’m quite exhausted at the moment." Miraculous energies emanated, covering the entire space. As the shattered battleground turned fully verdant with life, Crash!!! Black energy from the sky plummeted to the ground. Though large in magnitude, the energy rapidly diminished upon hitting the floor. When it eventually faded, "Grrr." It took the form of a small dog. The Abyss. “Void.” The mistress narrowed her eyes at the Abyss. "You've shrunk." "Grrr…" "Even reverting to your true form. Where have you left your divine essence? What exactly are you trying to accomplish?" Her demeanor displayed persistent dissatisfaction. "Fulfill your task. In your absence, the realm deteriorates." "Rrrr-!" The Abyss growled, its spirit brimming with defiance against the mistress. At this defiance, the woman finally furrowed her brows. "…I don’t get it." What on earth is the reason? "It seems you’re trying to protect them." Standing guard before me, the Abyss directed its hostility towards the mistress. This was clearly puzzling to her. "Is it the Dragon Sovereign? Did he do something to you?" "Roar!" "Even after having you sealed and banished, how could this occur?" Crimson eyes wavered. It was bizarre. Watching her, it was foreign beyond words. 'Forgetfulness.' Is this what the punishment was? A form that adheres to predetermined steps, believing in nothing. I couldn’t help but feel tumultuous seeing the form of the mistress, my mother. "…Enough." Yet even that was beyond reach. "You’ll suffice if you’re removed." Her voice came from just before me. She had approached without me realizing. "Damn—!" "Grrrr!" The turtle and the Abyss reacted, but the mistress's hand was already reaching for my throat. She was swift. Her fingertips grazed my neck. Zap. "Hmm…?" "…Ugh!?" A brief pain skidded across my skin. It was an exceptionally short, peculiar pain. As if touched by static, my eyes widened. -Listen well. An internal voice echoed. It was the voice of the ancestor. -I’ll be brief, for time is scarce. 'Suddenly what...?’ -This is the arrangement your mother prepared. Additionally. There wasn’t even time to respond. Because not only my speech but all existence seemed to have paused. The mistress remained with her hand at my neck. Something dawned on me; this situation was strangely familiar. -Heed this warning, descendant. The ancestor spoke. -No matter what you do, nothing will change. Remember only this. With those cryptic words, my vision was veiled in darkness.