1123 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Everyone froze as if they had turned to stone. It was inevitable. Rumble-! Kyarr… Kyarr… Something that had previously instilled terror was slowly crumbling. This enormous creature resembled a moving mountain atop another mountain. Its frail body seemed at risk of being blown away by a gust of wind. Only its limbs appeared fragile. Its abdomen was strangely inflated. A bizarre entity that warped the ambient air and pressure just by existing. "...Is it pierced?" "Its body..." Something had pierced the creature, leaving a gaping hole. Kar... Karrr… A monster. Known as a White-class monster. With its pale white skin and an alien aura, it could cause catastrophic environmental changes merely by existing. People called such creatures White-class monsters. The being before them was undoubtedly one of these monsters. Yet, it was collapsing. What's going on here? As everyone stood baffled and curious, "There's... someone over there!" A voice shouted out, as if having made a discovery. Everyone's gaze turned in that direction. A man stood suspended in mid-air, surrounded by dark clouds. Not on the ground, but standing in the sky with arms folded. He wore a black robe, with a height approaching eight feet, and donned a curious cracked white mask. "What is that...?" "Who could that be...?" Confusion descended. Why was the monster crumbling, and who was that person? As the incomprehensible unfolded, everyone was thrown into confusion. Kyaaargh---!!! The monster behind them reacted. Its previously gaping wound began to regenerate, and its body quickly returned to its original state. Seeing this, Gu Cheol Woon shifted his posture. Whoever the stranger was, the monster took priority. With that thought, he readied his energy once more. At that moment... Kyaaaah---!!! The fully restored monster roared and revealed itself completely. Wooosh-!!! On its back were wings. However, they were skeletal, as if the flesh had melted away. Though it desperately flapped as if yearning to fly, it remained motionless. The White-class monster appeared bewildered. It seemed to be startled by its inability to fly. Karr! Karr-rrr!!! Its bewilderment turned to rage, its energy growing more fierce. Its raging energy now directed at the warriors nearby. Kyarrrr---!!! The fully unfettered body charged toward the fighters. "Prepare for battle!" Gu Cheol Woon shouted, rallying his surroundings with the force of his voice. Everyone snapped to attention and prepared to counterattack. But... Kyaaah-!!! Crunch-!! "Argh!" "Hyaaah---!!" With the swing of its massive arms, the mountainside shattered. The warriors were nearly engulfed by its strength. They had no chance of withstanding such power. At this rate, they could be killed by the impact. Observing this, Gu Cheol Woon acted first. Whoosh-!!! Thud-!! A powerful flame struck the arm of the White-class monster. The beast staggered from the impact. Karr? It responded with a peculiar sound, astonished at the unexpected retaliation. Gu Cheol Woon's expression also twisted. 'Heavy.' It was a struggle. Although he deflected the arm, the impact reverberated fully into his right arm. Yet. Whoosh-!!! Without room to dwell on the pain, he gathered fire in his palm. An orb of flame formed, which he launched at the White-class monster. Boom-!! An explosion ensued, sending a shockwave backward. It felt like a direct hit. However, Gu Cheol Woon's expression remained grim. The attack landed, but something felt strange. Karr... The White-class monster stood unmoved. Its fangs bared while curling its razor-sharp hand into a fist. Watching the balled fist made Gu Cheol Woon grit his teeth. What it intended was obvious. Avoiding it seemed unlikely. Contemplating this, Gu Cheol Woon created fire in his hands. The plan was to create an explosion and evade backward. But. "Leader!" So Yi hurried in, trying to intervene. Her voice drew Gu Cheol Woon's attention back. So Yi leaped, already airborne, heading towards Gu Cheol Woon. 'Damn.' He could dodge, but So Yi couldn't escape. With a rapid thought, Gu Cheol Woon redirected his flames. He unleashed the fire at So Yi. "...!" With a shock, So Yi was propelled backward. Thud-! "Ugh!" She tumbled on the ground, reacting in surprise. Yet, checking on Gu Cheol Woon took precedence. "Leader…!" A fist was heading towards Gu Cheol Woon. 'Damn.' He couldn't block it. No time to raise his defenses. The fist was already before him as he glanced up. At that moment. "Can't you understand words?" A grave voice came from beside him. BOOOM---!!! KYAAAHHH---!!! With a thunderous sound, the monster screamed. Its incoming punch shattered with the noise. The recoiling White-class monster tried to howl in agony. "I clearly told you." Kyah-ughh-! Thud-! Someone lunged forward, striking the White-class monster's jaws once more. This time, the monster toppled backward from the impact. Its enormous body fell as if the mountain itself was collapsing. As the White-class monster fell, the masked man who struck it spoke. "I told you not to bark." Upon witnessing this, Gu Cheol Woon's eyes widened. He hadn't seen the approach. The masked figure had effortlessly disabled the White-class monster. He understood. 'It was him.' The one who had created the hole in the White-class monster earlier. It was undoubtedly this figure. 'Who is he?' He couldn't discern who it was. As he stood shocked, his gaze fell elsewhere. Where the masses stood frozen. Among them was... 'There.' Baek Yang Cheon stood. He, too, looked upon the scene with a bewildered expression. For some reason, Gu Cheol Woon found himself staring at Baek Yang Cheon. Even though he knew it couldn’t be him. As he confirmed this. KYAAAARRGGHHH----!!!! The monster continued to let out savage roars. Then: BuzzZzz---!!!! Suddenly, a reaction flared from the Demon Gate. The gate trembled violently. Grrrr-! ……ROAAAR--!!! The cries of beasts echoed from within. The nearby warriors were paralyzed with fear. KUOOO-!!! "A monster...!" "A monster has appeared!!" Monsters began pouring out from within. "What, a Red-class?" And they weren't just any monsters, but Red-class. With skin and hide that shimmered reddish, not as gigantic as a White-class, but still immense in size. Not just one, but several at once. "How… how will we handle this!" "Draw your weapons! We must stop them!" "Grr!" Those who were panicked tried to regain their composure. It was their first encounter with Red-class monsters. Legends said only a multitude of top-level warriors could barely take one down. And now, multiple such beasts emerged, causing everyone to grit their teeth and prepare for battle. "Annoying." The black-robed man murmured as he observed. "Silence them." A command issued to someone. Who could he be commanding? Gu Cheol Woon thought curiously. KIAARRRR---!!! With a tearing roar, KUAOAOO---!!! Something plummeted from the sky amidst the Red-class monsters. A cloud of dust rose. Visibility was obscured. Screech! ROAAAR-!! KARRR--!!! Crunch! Smack-!! Sounds of destruction and rending erupted all around. Something fell at the warriors' feet through the dust. "What the… eek!" Startled, they stepped back. Upon closer inspection—it was the head of a monster. A tiger-shaped beast, its neck severed, now rolling on the ground. What in the world was happening? Gu Cheol Woon couldn’t comprehend the situation. What on earth was going on? Confusion mounted within him. KARRR….!! The fallen White-class monster rose again. Its fierce energy surged once more. Fueled by primal rage, intent on tearing its foes apart, its murderous aura vibrated, shaking the ground. The intimidating momentum threatened to impact others nearby when, "Worthless bug." The man beside Gu Cheol Woon said. "Shut it up. I don’t like noise." At his words, GrrrrAAA---!!! KUOUUU---!!!! Something dropped from the sky alongside his words. This time it was different from before. KIAAA---!!! A massive hand gripped the neck of the colossal White-class monster. Gu Cheol Woon watched in disbelief, his mouth agape. It was of similar size. The creature subduing the White-class was another monster. What stood out was its skin, unlike the commonly known green, blue, red, or white. 'Black?' A monster with black skin. Whoosh-!! Crunch-!! The black beast swung its fist and smashed the White-class monster's face. Bang-!! The sound of bones shattering and vibrations from the impact echoed across the area. Thud-! Thud-thud-thud-!! The battle between monsters commenced. The clash of giant forms left everyone speechless. In the face of this bizarre and unreliable spectacle, Gu Cheol Woon was at a loss for words. Swish. "......!" He felt a gaze. A masked warrior. He was staring at Gu Cheol Woon. His eyes were a glowing shade of purple, causing Gu Cheol Woon’s skin to prickle involuntarily. Those were the kind of eyes he had.