1114 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

They climbed the mountain. It was the same mountain as before. It was the place where the Ma Gate had been discovered, exactly the same spot they had visited last time. "......." "......." His father and he silently ascended the mountain. Previously, they had a guide, but this time, with the permission of the family head, they were free to climb without any hindrance. After quite a while of climbing, upon reaching the summit, the Ma Gate they had seen earlier appeared once more. However. 'It seems bigger than last time.' The size and the light emanating from the Ma Gate gave the impression of having grown since their last visit. And. 'One less ring.' Out of the four rings they saw last time, one had disappeared, leaving only three remaining. Since a day had passed since the change, it seemed to align with what his father had mentioned. 'If all those rings break.' The Ma Gate would likely open with full force. Seemingly recalling this, his father approached the Ma Gate to examine it closely. Watching him, he also scrutinized the Ma Gate. 'Why is it so large?' He furrowed his brow. The size was much larger than he expected. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen a Great Ma Gate before. He had indeed encountered a red Ma Gate, but... 'This is the first time I've seen one of this magnitude.' He had never seen a Ma Gate of this size, as if another mountain existed atop the one they were on. 'What happens if it erupts?' The enormity of the Ma Gate implied that whatever was boiling inside would certainly not be trivial. The concern was: ‘The inherent issue of the Ma Gate’s existence.’ The Ma Gate. While once ignorant, he now knew that the Ma Gate was connected to the Abyss of Myriad Realms. With the world in ruins, those who couldn’t escape to the myriad realms were buried within the abyss. The fissures originating from that abyss were directly linked to the creation of the Ma Gate. 'That means.' Whatever emerges from the Ma Gate would ultimately be something that had been dwelling within the abyss. ‘Hmm.’ What was it planning to unleash? And then. '...It’s troublesome.' The notion that the creation of the Ma Gate might be his doing was particularly bothersome. While he pondered over the Ma Gate for some time, his father finally spoke. "Do you sense anything unusual?" His father addressed him for the first time since they started climbing the mountain. Unusual? He examined the Ma Gate intently and replied honestly. "It's huge." "......." “Very much so.” His father's brows furrowed at the plain and direct comment about the vast Ma Gate. Was it because he stated the obvious? Probably not. 'There’s no truer answer than this.' There was no need to sugarcoat it. The unexpectedly massive Ma Gate before them was the anomaly itself. "A Ma Gate that appears at least twice as large as other great Ma Gates. Moreover, if it erupts, it poses a daunting challenge to confront. It's carrying all the bad traits." Yes, the terrain was a problem too. A Ma Gate formed at the mountaintop would mean that when it erupted, the monsters would descend directly down the mountain. This would create many complications in dealing with the aftermath. Even if martial artists were beyond ordinary humans, this situation posed a significant issue. Upon hearing his thoughts, his father pondered aloud. “Well then.” His father looked at him and asked another question. “How do you think we should handle it?” He contemplated the question, considering its implications. ‘Is he asking for advice or testing me?’ Whether it was for advice on the situation or to test him was unclear, but his answer remained unchanged. "All we can do is fight well." Despite everything, his answer was straightforward. “The terrain is chaotic, and based on what you, or rather, the division leader, assessed, it’s said the Ma Gate will open in a few days. Requesting reinforcement from the Alliance seems challenging.” Even if they managed to make a request, it would likely be to the Anhui branch for support. And how much power would they really have? ‘There would certainly be the strength of the Namgoong family as well.’ But the red Ma Gate was the most troubling factor. ‘They might not know the proper method to handle it.’ With knowledge matching what he knew, it was impossible to properly handle the situation in their current state. They did not have the knowledge to hunt red monsters effectively. A red Ma Gate eruption in such a state? 'From what I know about great Ma Gates, a red monster appears at least...' Six of them. Six red monsters would appear simultaneously. ‘How could they possibly handle that?’ This was the worrisome part. To hunt six simultaneously, they would need at least one hundred peak martial artists, with no fewer than five of them wielding formidable power. Of course. ‘If I get involved, we could capture them.’ He could surely slay the red monsters if he were to take action. ‘Argh.’ He was reluctant, which led to his hesitation. The glimmer of hope was... ‘The fact that this is the Namgoong family’s territory.’ ZGVPdDc2cnQxMFU0bVlrbnZITXlVczJObkdGNWRUeHJETUpjZUowTHBuWDVNT1ZVQWpFMjE4V3BaR01jN1RhNA This was the home ground of the Namgoong family, the rulers of Anhui. He placed his hope in that fact. Because. ‘If it’s the headquarters of the Namgoong family, that person should be there.’ The master of raw power, and the true ruler of the Namgoong family. Namgung Jeohwi's father and Namgoong Jin's grandfather. 'The Celestial Elder.' The Celestial Elder, one of the three elders. He might be somewhere within the Namgoong family. ‘If he’s there, dealing with the red Great Ma Gate wouldn’t be difficult.’ Though he wasn’t sure of the Celestial Elder’s condition at this point in time, it was likely that he was still in his prime. Known to be the most powerful in force among the three elders, if he took action, there would be no concern about the Ma Gate. '...That's assuming he decides to help.' Whether or not he was currently in the Namgoong family was unknown, as was his present condition. “Well, for now… we should go down and discuss it. Given the high risk, it’d be best to send away those who won’t be of help.” “Those who won’t be of help?” “Martial artists below the first-class and those without any martial skills should be evacuated.” Transporting them far away might be more dangerous. It would be better to keep them at a safe distance, perhaps in the Anhui branch of the Martial Alliance. Having faced red monsters before, he knew that martial artists below the first-class level were not particularly helpful. "......." His father did not disagree. In reality, even first-class martial artists were no match for red monsters. They would only end up losing their lives in vain. "Let's evacuate the civilians and the martial artists below first-class to the Martial Alliance's Anhui branch and request the Namgoong family to prepare for battle. Providing them with some information about the red monsters would be beneficial. And." He tapped his side with his fingers. "The important thing is, are we also planning to support them?" The Ma Gate had erupted in Anhui, which suggested that it was the Namgoong family’s responsibility to handle it. However, since the Azure Dragon Brigade had already made a move to support and considering the anticipation of an eruption in a few days, it was a delicate moment to decide whether to withdraw their support or continue. He asked his father for clarification on this matter. "We will support them," his father declared firmly. "Given the unexpected anomaly, we cannot simply let others die." "......." "The Martial Alliance moves with justice and cooperation. We will support the Namgoong family and participate in the battle." 'I see.' The words left him somewhat speechless, not expecting such a statement from his father. 'Justice and cooperation?' He found it ironic. It was among the phrases he detested most. Hearing them from his father's mouth was surprising. '...Is it because this is the current Martial Alliance?' Those he knew in the future, despite being part of the righteous faction, often bore a grudge against the Martial Alliance. Yet, people from the current era seemed to take pride in being part of the Martial Alliance. What had transpired in those few years to cause such a shift? "Let’s go back." With those words, his father turned on his heel. "......." He also followed behind. As they completely disappeared from sight midway up the mountain, only the great Ma Gate remained. Ssss— The mountain was deserted, leaving the Ma Gate to oscillate quietly in solitude. Chiiik! A subtle change occurred within the Ma Gate. It wasn’t its size or the number of rings, but a change in the hues within. Among the blood-like red swirls, a very faint wisp of white light flickered. It signaled the start of yet another anomaly. --- After descending the mountain, they made their way to the office of the Namgoong family head. As they had given prior notice of their visit, they were able to meet the family head without any trouble. “You’ve arrived.” “I greet the Namgoong family head.” “I greet you as well, family head.” Namgung Jeohwi, whom they hadn’t seen for a while, appeared somewhat gaunt. He bore a resemblance to Namgoong Jin. ‘But he doesn’t look much like Namgoong Hyeong.’ Namgoong Hyeong, known to resemble the Heaven’s Sword closely, didn’t share much resemblance to his father. Moreover. ‘The vitality is still there.’ The vitality emanating from Namgung Jeohwi's body was still distinctly felt. “What did you find?” His father handed over a note that he had prepared in advance in response to Namgung Jeohwi’s question. Rustle. As Namgung Jeohwi received and inspected it, he muttered, “Evacuation request and preparation for combat, huh…” It was as if he had anticipated the situation, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “The sooner we act, the better.” With only a few days left, swift evacuation was crucial. However. “Moving our people around isn’t something that can be done abruptly.” Namgung Jeohwi furrowed his brow, seemingly troubled by the thought. Seeing this, he interjected. “Even with your authority?” With the command and authorization of the family head, wouldn’t it be possible to mobilize them? What could be causing such hesitation? Expressing his curiosity with his question. “……” Instead of responding, Namgung Jeohwi rubbed his forehead. Trying to decipher his reaction, both his father and he silently watched him. “...Could you follow me for a moment?” Namgung Jeohwi directed this request at his father. “It seems there’s someone you must meet.” “Someone I must meet?” “The former family head. It seems meeting him is necessary.” “...!” His father and he widened their eyes simultaneously at that remark. The former family head referred to none other than ‘the Celestial Elder.’ ‘Well then.’ A hint of relief tugged at his lips. It seemed as though the situation might resolve itself favorably. Thus surfaced a shallow sense of relief, but it was... "What are you?" "Oh, damn." Unbeknownst to him at the time, it was the prelude to a far more troublesome affair.