1166 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

KWA-CRASH-!! The battle erupted fiercely. From the very start, they executed a joint attack. The woman gripped a strange sword, launching swift strikes at me. The old man charged at me with a hefty blunt weapon. BANG-!! As the impact collided, a thunderous explosion echoed around. The force was extraordinary. Dodging their combined assault once, I was now certain. 'They are strong opponents.' They were masters at the level of pyrokinetic warriors. Moreover— 'They're not even righteous faction members.' This crude and unfocused killing intent. Just from the emotions mingled in their auras, I could tell. 'These are underworld sect followers.' Both were formidable underworld sect warriors. SMACK-!! I dodged the sword and deflected the incoming blunt weapon with my hand. The atmospheric pressure burst, slightly pushing my body back. CRASH-!! Falling from the air, I landed on the ground, dispersing the impact. I maneuvered to evade or parry the continuous attacks. Infusing my energy with black flame made sustaining defense effortless. 'Their coordination is awkward too.' Though possessing high levels of mastery, their joint assault seemed incredibly awkward. They likely weren't used to fighting together. WHOOSH-!! The thin sword thrust toward me. I subtly moved, trapping the woman's arm against my side. “……!” Not only had I evaded the attack, but now her body was captured, her eyes widened in shock. She struggled to escape, but— THUD-!! "Guh!" I locked her in place and slammed my palm into her solar plexus. THUMP-!! “Argh!!” The impact detonated inside, sending the woman flying backward. Though the damage wasn't too deep. I hadn't had the time to control my strength perfectly. “Huuuup!!” I couldn't spare the time, as the old man was charging at me. His blunt weapon came crashing down on my head. I sidestepped half a pace back. CRAAACK-!! The blunt weapon crashed violently where I had stood, shattering the ground and sending up a dust cloud. The old man's face twisted in frustration at the visible chaos he had caused. He turned his head to look for me but— “Where are you looking?” “……!” Hearing my voice, the old man spun around quickly. I had already moved behind him. In that instant, he swung his weapon backward in response. THUD-!! I struck the underside of his weapon, sending it flying upwards. His arm raised, leaving his upper body exposed. WHSSHH-! ‘Oh.’ The old man reacted quickly. He began to channel energy to cover the exposed area. It was meant as a defense, but— “Good.” I clenched my fist, seemingly pleased. “Let's see how well you can withstand this.” I struck at the spot where his energy was gathering. As my fist made contact with the energy— CRACK-! The energy shattered instantly, and my fist drove into the old man's torso. BOOM-!! “Guhh!” Coughing up blood, the old man was flung backward. He tumbled through the air before finally hitting the ground. “Ugh… Huff….” Watching the old man collapse on the ground, I dusted off my hands. “Don't move.” A pause. Though my eyes were on the old man, I sensed a presence beside me. The woman I had struck earlier. She tried to stab me with her sword in a surprise attack. “Planning to continue?” I had already read through her intentions. “……Who are you?” She asked in a flustered voice. “I've never heard of a strong fighter like you. Who are you? How can you possess the aura of a pyro-warrior?” Her voice trembled. From our brief clash earlier, it seemed she realized the gap between us. “I'm more curious about you. Who are you?” “…You don't know who I am?” Her pride seemed wounded as her face twisted. She must be a well-known figure. ‘…I truly don’t know.’ A famous underworld sect figure just by looking at her face? Though she appears quite beautiful... Still, unknown means unknown. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking. Would I?” “…….” “Answer or don't. It's not like I'm dying of curiosity.” I wasn’t particularly desperate for an answer, but— “You claim not to know the Black Moon Empress? That's impossible.” “……Aha.” Out of pride, she revealed her nickname. ‘…The Black Moon Empress?’ It sounded vaguely familiar. Maybe I’ve heard of it? ‘The fact that she has that title.’ Her nickname and her apparent power at the level of a pyro-warrior suggested— “You must be one of the Demon Five Schools.” “…….” It seemed likely she was one of the Demon Five Schools I didn’t know of. Her expression twisted, confirming my suspicions. Hold on. ‘Which means….’ My gaze shifted from the Empress to another spot. “Huhh.” My eyes landed on the old man still coughing up blood. ‘Could he be as well?’ Considering the pyro-warrior appearance and the identity of the unfamiliar woman as a Demon Five School member... Could this old man be part of that too? While pondering— “Grandpa, stop pretending to be weak and get up. Doesn’t look like the situation is in our favor.” “……Hehehe….” At her words, the old man rose to his feet. “…Impressive. To think you’ve managed to harm the Heaven Smasher.” “…….” It seemed my guess was correct. Their direct introductions made understanding quick. ‘The Heaven Smasher.’ Quite a compelling nickname, confirming he too belonged to the Demon Five Schools. ‘If I don’t know him, then…’ He might be deceased or— ‘…a figure who received a new identity from that old man.’ The only certainty I know of is the death of a pyro-warrior. Given they're here, too— “So, you folks sought a new life from that guy, didn’t you?” “…To think you'd know that much?” “I wasn’t intending to find out, but he explained it to me.” “Just who are you? Why are you interrupting us like this?” The Heaven Smasher wiped the blood from his lips and asked. I responded with a chuckle. “I didn’t plan on interfering… Just caught a whiff of something suspicious, so I came to check it out.” “How are you mimicking the appearance of a pyro-warrior?” “Doesn't seem like a mask…” To the Empress's doubt, I pulled at my cheeks. “…How.” “It doesn’t matter how this happened. But to think three of the so-called Supreme Masters of the Underworld are gathered here, indulging in this farce.” It was absurd. “Weren't you supposed to be the loftiest of the underworld? Are you really so desperate for a new life? Does having your pride take a hit not bother you?” “…Silence.” The Black Moon Empress bit her lip, a fitting expression given her exquisite features, though it didn't impress me much. “What do you know…!” “I don’t know much, and I don't care to know.” What do the thoughts of these underworld folks matter? I had no interest in them. At that moment— “Listen here.” The Heaven Smasher, who had been quietly listening, addressed me. “Why not join forces with us?” “Hm?” “…What are you saying, old man?” The Empress’s face twisted in confusion. “We can tell you're a formidable warrior, but you’re no righteous faction member, are you?” “Well, that’s true.” Though technically I belong to the righteous faction now, I never truly considered myself part of it. “Instead of fighting here, why not band together to earn our freedom? We don't need to be pyro-warriors. As long as we achieve freedom, it’s enough.” “…Freedom? Who's freer than you lot?” These underworld felons, known for their unruly, self-serving lifestyles, claiming to seek freedom? It was a joke any passerby would laugh at. “What nonsense.” The Black Moon Empress interjected at my words. “With the main sect around, how can we be free? At best, we are mere chess pieces.” “…Hm?” I narrowed my eyes at her statement. Mere chess pieces? “For the underworld, there’s no such thing as freedom. If we can’t break free from this vile chain, it’s better to flee.” “……” What could this mean? Talk of the main sect and freedom? It was odd hearing such things from underworld warriors. ‘Hmm.’ It seemed that in addition to pyro-warriors, the Heaven Smasher and Black Moon Empress, there was more to the connection with the current martial alliance and Demon Five Schools. “So, how about we work together for now and deal with this? If you’re not a righteous faction member…” However— “Ah, sorry.” CRUNCH-! “Wha–…?” I had no intention of joining forces with them. My hand pierced through the Heaven Smasher's chest. “I dislike the righteous faction, but I despise the underworld more.” I wasn’t interested in their circumstances. Even though dealing with the righteous faction was tiresome, I loathed the underworld more, especially recalling the chaos they unleashed during the Great War of Demons and Gods. “Ugh… Ugh…” With the Heaven Smasher’s heart in my grasp, the old man drew his last breath. “This… This cannot be…!” Seeing this, the Black Moon Empress quickly turned away. And without hesitation, she dashed away, attempting to escape. I tilted my head slightly as I watched her back. I could have captured her immediately, but I chose not to. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ I wasn’t interested in playing some peculiar game of tag. This was simply a strategic way to catch prey more efficiently. When prey faces a predicament, it seeks an opportunity to escape. And when injured, there’s only one place they will flee to. ‘Towards where more of their kind are.’ They’d head in the direction where they believed safety in numbers lay. If there wasn’t more of their group, then it’d all be for nothing. ‘It’s unlikely there are only these three.’ Among the Demon Five Schools, three were gathered here. Impressive as that was, it did not feel like an ending. ‘Besides, the man from earlier still hasn’t shown up.’ The man who led me here in the first place was nowhere to be seen. That’s why I deliberately let the Empress go. ‘Where will she head to?’ Unsure of her destination, there was something likely waiting at the place she was heading. I had already leashed her, metaphorically speaking. ‘Since I’ve marked her with demonic energy.’ I could easily find her, no matter where she went. Sensing the direction in which the demonic energy moved, I set off. ‘Time to unravel the foulness lurking on the front lines.’ It was time to investigate what smelled so rotten in this situation.