1124 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Kyaaaah-!! Thud-! Thud thud thud-!! The beasts clash as they overturn the mountain. Mang grapples with a nameless low-tier beast, and the massive creatures become entangled, turning the area chaotic in an instant. It's not just rocks or trees being displaced; the entire mountain is being destroyed and shattered. 'Hey. It's too loud, so fight somewhere else.' Seeing the danger of fighting nearby, Mang issues a command to move the battle away. Krrrr. As if affirming the command, Mang drags the beast away. Kuaaaaa-!!! Even the act of dragging leaves vibrations in its wake. Mang then swings at the beast. Kwoooom-!!! Kyaaaaa-!! A roar of pain erupts from the impact. It seems they’ll handle it over there. Thinking as much, I shifted my gaze. I looked at Father who was beside me. Father had widened his eyes in surprise, his eye flashed red. Just then, he too was looking at me. ‘……Hmm.’ How should I address this? Should I even speak? The thought flickers. No, it’s better not to speak. Thinking that, I was about to take a step when— “Stop.” “…….” Father blocked my path. It was strange. His expression was tense despite his usual stoic demeanor. There was clear tension. “……Who are you? Reveal your identity.” I hadn't expected him to confront me. I had shown some strength deliberately, yet he still stood in my way. Watching him curiously, I faced Father. “Ha.” A laugh escaped my lips, alongside— Kwooooooooo---!!! “……!!” I released a pressure. No need to hold it back; I let it out fully. While I had sealed away the Gu Flame Wheel Art just in case, there was no need to restrain the aura of dark energy or the power of the Twin Demonic Dance. Thus, I let my presence fill the surroundings. “Ugh…….” Father grimaced, tensing his body. Whoosh-!! Flames swirled around as if trying to push back against my presence, but— “Listen.” I approached Father, speaking. “I dislike anyone standing in my way. Especially if—” I said as I moved my hand. “It’s some lowly thing.” It hurt inside. To call Father a 'lowly thing'? How could someone be so disrespectful? ‘Well, whatever.’ Since I was an ingrate to start with, it didn’t matter, did it? Consoling myself with that thought, I spoke to Father. “You’re quite capable, so I’ll let it slide. Never obstruct me again.” “…….” I released the pressure, passing by Father, who was momentarily immobilized. I was about to continue, but— Grip-! “Hmm?” Oh? As I was passing, Father grabbed my wrist. “Phew… Huff……” Looking to the side, Father, veins bulging in his eyes, was glaring at me. “……Who are you?” “…….” “Reveal… your identity……” Given Father’s level, enduring this presence should be near impossible. Breathing alone would be hard, yet he held on. ‘……What?’ Truly astonishing. How is this possible? It was always surprising. How strong must one's will be to manage this? It was almost laughable. Narrowing my eyes at this unexpected situation. Though surprised, there was something to be done. “Click.” I clicked my tongue, moving my hand. Thud-!! “……!!” Father, struck in the stomach, collapsed. He seemed to try to let out a groan, but now wasn’t the time to listen. Ignoring him, I moved on. Right now, I needed to be quick. * * * Boom-! Clang-!! “Hold your positions!” “Maintain the formation……!!” Whoosh-! Clang-! “Gah!” “Damn……! Be careful!” In the chaotic situation, the martial artists swung their swords relentlessly. Kuaaa-!!! To counter that, the beasts rampaged. The problem was, every one of these creatures was a red-ranked beast. “Don’t fall back……!!” Namgoong Jeo-Hwi shouted as he witnessed it. At the same time, he swung his sword to block the beast’s attack. Clang-! “Ugh!” Namgoong Jeo-Hwi’s body was pushed back as he blocked the attack. He desperately tried to steady himself, but— Kyaaaah-!! A snake-like beast lunged to swallow him. It was too fast, so fast Namgoong Jeo-Hwi couldn’t dodge in time. At that moment, when his brows furrowed— Crunch-! Boom! “……!” The snake’s head was crushed and exploded. Shards flew, covering Namgoong Jeo-Hwi’s face in blood. In the face of this shocking situation, Namgoong Jeo-Hwi’s eyes trembled. What on earth happened? Puzzled, he turned his head. There stood— Krrrrrr-! A beast, entirely charred black. It was thin and slender. Though for a beast, its build was close to a human’s. And on its back were wings larger than its body, like those of a butterfly. What is that? Could it be? ‘Did it save me?’ Did that creature save him? The question didn’t last long. The answer was apparent. Krrrrrr-! The black beast quickly moved away. Its movements weren’t even visible properly. A black flash. That was all that was left as it darted around. Each time, a red beast fell. Slice-! Tear-! Crush! Necks were cut, flesh was torn, bones shattered. The red beasts fell with shocking ease. The same beasts that dozens of martial artists struggled to even scratch were being cut down entirely. ‘……What on earth?’ What is that beast? Why does it appear and save humans? No, is ‘saving’ accurate? It should be. Otherwise, it makes no sense. ‘It’s only attacking beasts.’ It’s only killing the beasts. Ignoring the humans, it was solely hunting the beasts. And then— Boom-!!! Kyaaaaaaa-!! A roar echoed from afar. The sheer vibrations were enough to make one's body tremble. Feeling this, Namgoong Jeo-Hwi couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear. It wasn’t just the loudness, but the ominous aura contained in that roar that made the martial artists’ energy centers shrink away. A being with such presence roaming the land? If that’s not a disaster, what is? To think we had to stop it… Namgoong Jeo-Hwi thought it was impossible. ‘Unless Father is here…’ Without the Heavenly Exalted One in the battle, there was no defeating it. He was convinced of that. ‘And there are more like it.’ The beast that brought despair and fear was now, in this current situation, more often being overpowered than causing harm. Because another entity had intervened. ‘This one is also dark.’ Another black beast. Unlike the beast that had saved Namgoong Jeo-Hwi just moments ago, the form of this one was different. It was comparable in size to the massive hundred-ranked beast. With two colossal creatures tangled in combat, the opposite side's terrain was already devastated. One of Anhui's mountains had disappeared in an instant. Truly in the blink of an eye. Such destruction happening in such a brief moment. Even now, an unbelievable scene unfolded. ‘…Could it be real?’ How had such a thing happened to him? When Namgoong Jeo-Hwi twisted his lips in frustration— “Master! It’s dangerous!” The martial artists of the Namgoong family rushed over, warning him. A red beast was darting toward Namgoong Jeo-Hwi. Damn. His gaze had wandered for a second. Where had that black beast gone? He spotted it engaged somewhere else. The beast lunged rapidly, claws swinging. ‘Danger…!’ At the moment when the sharp attack nearly claimed Namgoong Jeo-Hwi’s neck— “You fool.” Thunk-!! The beast's head exploded once more. “You won’t get far if you let your guard down like that.” A robe fluttered as someone stood in front of Namgoong Jeo-Hwi. Not even a single drop touched the person in front; the blood never reached them. “If the head of the family acts like this, it’s way too pitiful.” “You are…” Namgoong Jeo-Hwi looked at the man dressed in dark martial attire. He recognized him. The figure that had been hovering in midair earlier. “Who… who are you?” “Hmm?” At Namgoong Jeo-Hwi’s question, the man turned back. Who was he, indeed? “I?” There was a slight chuckle in the man’s response. “I am.” The man… No, the celestial being continued. “The Heavenly Demon.” Heavenly Demon Gu Yangcheon introduced himself to Namgoong Jeo-Hwi. “Heavenly… Demon?” As the unfamiliar term widened Namgoong Jeo-Hwi’s eyes— Kyaaaaaa--!!! A vibration exploded from a distance. Gu Yangcheon turned his gaze toward it. “Tch.” He clicked his tongue. The side where the hundred-ranked beast was battling Mang – it was there that Mang seemed to be getting pushed back. ‘Could it be too much after all?’ He had thought it could buy more time. ‘It seems a real hundred-ranked beast is too much.’ The beast he had absorbed and summoned. Mang was initially a hundred-ranked beast, but when resummoned, he was slightly weakened compared to a true hundred-ranked beast. As if to prove this, Mang eventually found himself losing ground to the beast. ‘What about the other one?’ What was the other creature up to? As he redirected his gaze, he saw it— Krrrrr-!! Amidst the red beasts, moving frantically. A beast wreaking havoc. ‘…That one seems fine.’ Less powerful than a hundred-ranked beast, yet far superior to the red ones. In terms of scale, it seemed about right. The depletion of energy was problematic, though. ‘Still, in this situation, it’s quite usable.’ When his body was alone, summoning it turned out to be quite handy. Convinced, he nodded. Now, with a clearer understanding of the scales... ‘This should do it.’ This was enough. No need for more. With that in mind, he commanded: “Time to wrap it up. Withdraw.” He issued the order to Mang, who immediately stopped fighting and retreated. Seeing the distance widening— Kiririr? The hundred-ranked beast pursued Mang, as if not wanting to let him escape. “You can’t.” Thunk-! With ease, he launched himself at the creature. As I drew near, the beast focused its gaze on me. Kyarr-!!! Its maw gaped, lunging toward me. Krrrrr-! Whenever it neared, I focused my power in my heart. Shiiiii-!!! The friction began. The clash resulted in energy rushing through my bloodstream, chaos forming immediately. Uuuum. A form of chaos emerged in my palm. A gray-mixed black orb dropped onto the creature. Kyarr-!!! With a scream, the chaos was inserted. “Heavenly Demon’s Soul Orb.” I triggered the explosion. Kyaaaaaa------!!!!! A wail erupted as energy burst forth. Kurururung-!! A whirlwind swept the ground, rising skyward. The unrestrained force consumed the hundred-ranked beast, and when the gust subsided— Kyarr… Kyarrak…. The beast was in such a wrecked state it was unrecognizable. Seeing this, I waved my hand. Tick. Whoosh-!! The flames of the demonic energy engulfed and burned the beast entirely, leaving no trace. Tutuduk. Watching the scattering ashes, I nodded slightly. “Not bad.” A considerable power indeed. A very great one at that.