1129 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

No answer came. Father merely looked at me with furrowed brows. What would he do? I wasn't really wondering. Because, to some extent, I could predict his reaction. "Well, I was hired, you know. Just leaving things be doesn’t quite—" I shifted my body. Boom—!!! A wave of energy brushed past me. Father had thrown a punch. I had dodged, but I could feel the heat trailing after. Whoosh. It was the other arm. His right arm, poised to strike, was enveloped in fierce flames. I twisted my body upon seeing it. A fireball aiming straight at me. Or so it seemed. But. 'It's a feint.' The ability I activated, Tu’an, deciphered father's movement. That fireball is a decoy. Realizing this... Fwoosh—!!! Flames engulfed my vision. The attack wasn't as aggressive as it seemed. It was explicitly to obscure my sight. Whether by specialization or sheer force, sight was flawlessly obstructed. Both my senses and vision were cut off. Such was the power of these flames. At that moment. Swoosh—!! Through a gap in the obscuring flames. Something broke through from the left. A fist. Father's fist plunged right into my side. I coiled my arm to defend. His punch struck the concrete muscle I had mustered to block it. Boom—!!! The impact threw my body backward. As I was hurled out, I escaped the flames that obscured my sight. What came into view next was a wall. Crash! Bang, bang—!! I pierced through the wall, my body being flung outside. Dust puffed into the air as I rolled across the ground, covering me in dirt. “Ptooey.” I spat out dirt that had gotten into my mouth. The expelled debris danced through the air. Beyond the arc of the debris. I saw something. Whoosh—!! “Hah.” Father, fist clenched, was already lunging at me from the front. The heat gathering at his fist’s end was so intense that it could drive one to despair. ‘Is he trying to kill me or what?’ The energy wasn’t something one would typically use against an ally. Tsk. I clicked my tongue briefly, turning my body quickly. I grabbed onto the soil in my spin. Using the momentum, I scattered it toward father. Boom—!! As if to say such a cheap trick was beneath him, Father repelled the earth with flames surging from his body. Never mind. It's not like I expected it to work anyway. This was merely to create a fleeting opening. In that brief moment, I had the time to regain my stance. Clench—! “……!” I swiftly rose and advanced toward Father. I grabbed his wrist with my hand. Then— Sizzle—!!!! I felt a burning sensation in my hand. The searing heat attacked my grip. Creak. ‘Oh, dear.’ I released Father’s hand and widened the distance. As soon as the heat struck, the Fire Wheel of my inner energy attempted to react. Pushing back the flames, my inner defenses kicked in. I withstood it, created distance, and shook my hand. Tap tap. Sweeping the energy off. The heat was kept at bay by forming a layer of ki around my hand. “……It's a bit harsh to attack without hearing someone out. At least let me finish what I have to say.” "......" Father looked at me as if he didn’t care. Those fierce red eyes made my insides tense. No matter how you see it, he's supposed to be weaker than me. Yet, there's no explaining that commanding presence. In the silence that lingered between us. “Is there a need for words?” Father spoke to me. “Pardon?” “We’ve communicated our intentions.” Whoosh——!!! Scarlet flames ascended from Father’s body. The heat emanating from him began affecting the entire area. “Wasn’t this a call to battle?” “…Well, yes, but it’s—” I didn’t expect him to pounce at me after just suggesting a fight. I thought I’d have at least a moment’s pause. “Sigh….” I thought I wasn't this impulsive. Or maybe I was? ‘If it were me.’ Had the words "let’s fight" come out, I'd have likely crushed his skull immediately. In this light, Father might be a tad better. ‘Perhaps not.’ Judging by the energy he exudes, it's not quite so. Sizzle……. The heat rising from Father intensified. By now, there was also another problem. “What’s happening—!” “What on earth…!!” The martial artists of the Namgung clan, who were patrolling the vicinity, began rushing towards us, drawn by the commotion and the overwhelming presence Father exuded. Even if that wasn’t the case, others feeling Father’s aura were also converging on this place. “Ah, no… the wall….” “What on earth are you doing…!” Startled onlookers approached and observed us. Suddenly breaking into a fight at a banquet, being met with odd looks was inevitable. “Aren’t those the Blue Dragon’s warriors?” “Isn’t that the Divine Dragon?” “What? Divine Dragon? Oh, it is!” “…Then who’s fighting the Divine Dragon? Isn’t he from the same Blue Dragon clan?” “I don’t know his name, but seems like it?” “Then why are they….” Perplexed eyes, failing to grasp the situation, kept glancing our way. A fight breaking out during a grand banquet – rumors would spread like wildfire. In a short while, many would gather here. Father was aware of all this. But still— Whoosh—!! Unwilling to stop, Father gathered the heat in his hands. ‘Oh dear, not that.’ I grimaced at the sight of flames coalescing. ‘Is he really planning to kill?’ Frightened, I twisted my body to avoid it. Boom—!! Father rushed toward me. I glimpsed a bead clutched in his hand. Burning Pearl (炎玉). The ultimate art of our family flared in Father’s grasp, hurtling directly toward me. The fiercely spinning, highly compressed flame bore down. What to do? Normally, I would have crafted my own Burning Pearl in defense. ‘But not now.’ Right now, I can’t employ that method. So there's no other way. As the Burning Pearl approached, I lowered my stance. Wooosh—!! I heightened my resolve. The aura of Tu’apa Heavenly Dance surged into my body. During this process, I aligned my center with my left instep. The energy surged from my heart, pooling at my instep. Soon, the energy transformed into a gray aura wrapping my foot. ‘I need to be a bit quicker.’ I didn't really want to, but by this point, I had no other choice. I increased my speed. With a slight spring in my step, my velocity heightened. Zip. My movement left a sound trailing. Then— Whack-!! "……!" Father's eyes widened. I had kicked the Flaming Pearl he created. In the split second it took for him to react, the Flaming Pearl was already airborne. As it flew in a diagonal direction and reached a certain height— Boom—!!! The Flaming Pearl exploded at a distance from its caster. "Gasp!" "What the…!!" The compression within the flame unfurled, and the spinning inside reacted violently, creating a monumental explosion. Everyone was startled by such a fierce phenomenon. "How could something so small…." While people marveled at the value of the Flaming Pearl, beneath it, I was swiftly preparing my next move. Father, having lost control of the Flaming Pearl, was momentarily surprised. He quickly composed his expression. Hum—! A circular sphere formed around Father. Countless Flaming Pearls materialized in mid-air. This was a variation of the Flaming Pearl technique. While it required significantly less power than forming a single orb, it allowed for subtle adjustments and disturbances. Shing-!!! The created Flaming Pearls flew toward me, drawing horizontal lines. I danced through my footwork, performing deft maneuvers. Bang! Bang bang bang! Boom boom boom! I dodged the innumerable Flaming Pearls left and right while gradually closing the distance to Father. As a few more Flaming Pearls came at me, I, once again, kicked them away. Bang! Boom—!! A Flaming Pearl exploded right in front of me. The aftermath of the explosion obscured me and Father. Father frowned at this. Likely because his senses were dulled by the obstructing explosion. I had taken advantage of this moment. I dove into the obscured space, targeting the abdomen. Fastened with aura, my fist shot forward. Slam—!!! The punch connected. I pushed with all my might. Boom—!! Father was shoved back, dispersing the smoke. Crunch—!!! He didn’t lift off the ground. His feet held firm, crushing the ground beneath and slowing his retreat. “…….” Father clutched his abdomen and stopped some distance away. ‘…Wow, this man is really something else.’ Watching him, I swallowed down my surprise. ‘He endured that?’ Despite taking a direct hit to the pit of his stomach, he didn’t utter a cry of pain. His face barely even flinched. Even more impressive— ‘Did he gather defensive aura in that brief moment?’ It appeared he anticipated I would strike his abdomen, as he had concentrated his aura there in defense. An impressive judgment. “…….” “…….” Father and I exchanged glares. Watching this, the surrounding martial artists reacted. “……He’s holding his own against the Divine Dragon?” “How can this be a fight between mid-level essence stage practitioners…?” By appearances, both Father and I seemed to be mid-level martial artists. Yet the fight being unveiled was far beyond that level. The martial artists looked on, eyes wide with shock. “……I see.” Father nodded knowingly, as if having realized something. “This won’t do.” “……What do you mean?” “I’m going all out.” With those words, a tremendous aura emanated from Father’s body in an instant. ‘Uh-oh.’ A shiver coursed through my body. Whoosh—!!!! The swirling energy felt like trying to contain a hurricane. Roar—!!! The energy released from his body soared into the sky. The previously dark night began to transform. ‘Crimson Sky.’ The entire area heated up. The domain unfolded. The ultimate art of our clan overtook the night sky. A sky turned crimson. And then— “Here I come.” Father, seemingly merging completely with the flames, prepared to show his true power. “…….” I scratched my cheek as I watched him. ‘Hmm.’ I glanced sideways briefly, letting a sliver of energy sweep the area and confirmed something. It seemed that— ‘This should be enough.’ My objective had been achieved. Nodding to myself, I addressed Father directly. “Ah.” I raised both hands high. “I surrender.” “……What?” Hearing this, Father’s face twisted in rare confusion. “What nonsense is this?” “I’ve completed my task. There’s no need to continue.” “What?” In response, Father urgently scanned the area. After a moment of observing his surroundings, Father let out a deep breath. “Ha…….” He exhaled, releasing his aura. It was as if he suddenly remembered something crucial. What Father had forgotten was: ‘Namgung.’ Namgung was no longer there. When the fight erupted and everyone's attention, including Father’s, was captured— Namgung seized the opportunity and escaped. This also signified— ‘Success.’ This was the moment when my plan had successfully played out.