1131 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Swish---!!!! I can hear something rotating, but it's not from my body; it's coming from Father's. The sound of rings spinning rapidly. The rotational force causes an inner resistance. The friction that erupts from there bursts into flames and wraps around his body. Whoosh-!!! A vivid crimson flame ignited all over Father's body. Watching this, I swallowed dryly. It's different. The quality of these flames is unlike the ones I saw earlier. ‘Unbelievable.’ Apparently, he was also concealing his strength. Father was now displaying flames entirely different from those before. The once dark training hall was no more. It was as though a small sun was present before my eyes, emitting an overwhelming light. "......Are you asking to fight again all of a sudden?" Unable to hide my surprise, I asked bluntly. Fight again here? After all that brawling just a moment ago? I frowned, questioning the necessity of it. “It's not ‘again.’” Father spoke to me with his characteristic heavy and unflappable tone. “Back then, both you and I had a purpose.” “......” Hearing him, I furrowed one eyebrow. Upon reflection, something seemed off. ‘Purpose.’ Father's purpose at the time was to prevent Hyeonso-yeon's escape. It was for that reason we fought. It should have been the same in our fight. And yet... ‘To speak of purpose here…….’ To mention not showing one's true abilities given the necessity to stop Nam Gung-hyung, suggests something else. Father too should have revealed his true intentions if blocking him was the goal. Of course, even if the opponent was me, that wouldn't change. If he mentions holding back his full ability while having a purpose all along, it implies… ‘Could it be…’ I widened my eyes and asked Father. “……Department Head, could it be…… did you help Nam Gung-hyung escape?” If Father's original intent wasn't to capture Nam Gung-hyung, but rather something else? If he chose not to show his full ability and subsequently helped me as well… ‘……It can't be, can it?’ There’s a strange aspect here. “What about Hyeonso-yeon then?” I asked. What becomes of the request she made to Father to capture Nam Gung-hyung? I don’t understand how things unfolded. “Well.” At my words, Father let out a vague reply. And simply shrugged his body. “Isn't it courteous to uphold an employer’s words?” “…….” Hearing that, I let out a hollow laugh. While not a complete answer, those words essentially imply… ‘It’s true that Father helped with Nam Gung-hyung's escape.’ It means they shared the same objective. "……Wow." This is a real headache. After all the effort I put into figuring it out, Father was a step ahead. "……And now you're proposing a fight?" “Is there a problem?” “……I'm the one who got tricked, how can there be no problem?” “There is none. Because the fact that I helped you doesn't change.” “…….” Since he helped, he suggests we fight properly. It’s a transparent yet crude manner of speaking, but his words are correct. In truth, because Father remained silent, I wasn’t inconvenienced. But why should we fight because of that? ‘I feel completely disoriented.’ In this moment, that was exactly how I felt. “……Why do you wish to fight?” “Because I'm curious about you.” “Curious about what?” “How far can you go?” “...Pardon?” “The Alliance Leader instructed me to observe you. I presume you’re aware of this.” “…….” As the subject of the Swordmaster came up, I closed my mouth again. Yes. This too is something I was informed of. “But, the more I watch, the more questions arise. To what extent can you go?” “……What exactly?” “I'm asking how far you can see and how far you can reach.” Whoosh---!! The resolve grew ever more intense. While the size of the crimson flame remained steady, I could sense the deepening pressure within. “It’s fine if you don't speak. Just show me.” “…….” “Consider it a return for saving you.” Creak. Father steadied his stance. Boom-!!! The steady flames enveloped Father like a barrier. ‘……Has he surpassed the Eight Stars?’ Father's current prowess. Judging from the flames of the Nine Flames Formation, it clearly seemed to have reached the Eight Stars. To have reached the Eight Stars at his age... Even I, with the heavenly power in my previous life, barely reached that point. Father had reached that place before even turning thirty. “…….” The searing heat piercing into my body was intense. Buzz-! The similar shaped ring within me kept reacting, eager to reveal itself. I was busy suppressing it. ‘Stay put.’ Don’t act rashly but remain calm. Clenching my teeth, I held my breath. With it continuously attempting to surface, I couldn't ignore it. “Hu.” I caught my breath, using my inner energy to control the ring lodged inside my heart. It was suffocating, but I could endure this much. As I steadied my breathing and gathered my energy. “Here I come.” “…….” Father moved. With the scattering embers, a flash of light appeared. Thud-! Before I knew it, he was in front of me, throwing a punch my way. ‘Hmm.’ I deliberated. Properly, he said? '……But isn't that a bit much against Father?' A moment's hesitation. Just then, Father's words about repayment weighed on my mind. I nodded briefly. Hesitation ended. Honestly, there was nothing to hesitate about. From the start. ‘I excel at being impetuous.’ Among the most outstanding traits of me, isn’t impetuous transgression one of them? Grab-! "……!" I pierced through the flame and seized Father’s wrist. Just like earlier, but faster. Ignoring the swirling flames, I pulled his wrist. Instantly, Father’s body was pulled toward me. I thrust my clenched fist. Thud-!! "……Ugh." With one strike, the protective aura wavered. The flames enveloping him shook violently. One of Father's legs wavered. It was intentional. I attacked targeting his acupoint, and his stance easily crumbled. Seeing this, I threw another punch. Crack-!! It plunged directly into his side. Using the rebound, I poured force into my fist. And struck strongly. Bang-! With the sound of a bursting flare, Father's body was flung back. Screeeech-!!! He supported himself with his foot dragging across the ground. With a wrecked stance, I could see him slowing down his speed. The pain must be excruciating. With his vital points unprotected, his body's balance surely crumbled. Yet, Father's endurance was remarkable. An extraordinary mental fortitude. If it were me, I’d be rolling on the ground by now. While I couldn't help but admire that strength, ‘Not yet.’ I quickly moved closer to Father and lightly pressed my foot to a joint. Thud-! “……!” Effortlessly, one knee collapsed completely. His upper body doubled over, and his head dropped with the recoil. My fist flew into that opening. Smack-!!! Father’s head recoiled from the impact. I manifested my determination and channeled my energy, enveloping my body. The heat coursed through, stimulating my pressure points. What seemed like a light punch tore through the air. Bam bam bam bam bam-!!! The speed trailed behind with sound, my arm swinging like a whip, striking Father all over. In terms of time, it was a mere instant. I intended to finish it there. To completely immobilize him, cutting off all possible actions. My resolve made it possible. As I thought this and moved even faster, Clack-! ‘Huh?’ Suddenly, my left arm was caught. What the…? ‘Did he really just react-?’ Thud-!! "……Ugh!" A punch buried itself into my abdomen. Father not only caught my hand but managed to counterattack. Despite the defensive aura wrapping around me, the dizziness was overwhelming. I couldn’t hold back a groan. I staggered as I turned my body. I managed to deflect the impact narrowly. We distanced ourselves, moving to opposite ends of the training hall and scrutinizing each other. Father, despite having been hit, didn’t seem particularly affected. On the contrary, even though I took just one blow, I could barely keep my glaring eyes off him. ‘How did he react?’ I couldn’t comprehend how Father managed to respond. ‘Certainly.’ I predicted his movements and blocked every possible path. Even preventing any form of counterattack. Yet what did he see within that gap? A frown formed on my face. Father was fearsome. Tap tap. Father, dismissing the feat he accomplished, simply shook off his body. Crack. Despite what seemed like no apparent damage, his movements were accompanied by a rough sound as he stretched. “Baek Yang Cheon.” Father called out to me. “……Yes.” “Is this your best?” “…….” Strength gathered in Father's eyes. Watching this, I sighed. “If I go all out here… we’ll end up demolishing everything.” enN1WnIzcFhHMVJuR0JvdkNPc013eDJlY29WNXZHajJzazhTcWhZeDdHUjFDY2JUek9McThGejFDZ0lJN2pxZA I had just unleashed everything earlier, and now, he asks for more. ‘Going all out from the start is the problem.’ Ever since I sealed the Nine Flames Formation, going all out wasn’t possible. Moreover, there wasn’t much justification for doing so. As I hesitated momentarily. Whoosh-! ‘Huh?’ Suddenly, an immense flow of energy emanated from Father's hands. The flames gathered, forming an inferno sphere. A proper inferno sphere, at that. “……Department Head?” “If you won’t do it properly, I’ll make sure you do.” “……No, please calm down. If we create another mess, it’ll be real trouble.” It was as if my words fell on deaf ears. Father completed the inferno sphere. Roar-!!! The sphere grew larger in size. In a split second, the great inferno sphere was completed. “Do it properly.” “…….” Is he out of his mind? ‘Wow. Is this his way of coercion?’ If I don’t fight seriously, is he going to detonate the inferno sphere? What kind of threat is this? The problem is, Father isn’t someone who’s just bluffing. He’d actually go through with it. ‘Tch…….’ I clicked my tongue briefly. I stopped caring. I released the power I had bound within my body. Pulled up to maximum speed. "If you won't do it properly—" Thud. Before he could finish, my fist was already embedded in Father’s cheek. I exerted all my power and drove it into the ground. Crack-!!!! The floor of the training hall shattered like a spider's web. Father's body lifted slightly from the impact. It seemed he had lost consciousness. The great inferno sphere in his hand recoiled. Buzzzz-!! It appeared as though, with the caster unconscious, it was about to explode. Seeing this, I quickly seized the inferno sphere. Boom---!!!! I reversed the rotation of the inferno sphere. Though my flames and Father’s inferno sphere clashed, ‘Don’t argue. I’m busy.’ Under the pressure of the released energy, the inferno sphere dwindled away. The impending explosion dissolved. “Phew……” Only then did I dust off my hands and brush my hair back. I looked over to check on Father. He lay still as if out cold. “…….” Seeing that, I leaned over to touch him gently. “Hello…… Father…… I mean, Department Head……? Are you alright?” I could hear him breathing, thankfully. But his figure, half-embedded into the ground, was a little concerning. “Um……” Was I too harsh……? Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.