1243 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

A trickle of liquid ran down as Chu Yeongyeon, having lost consciousness, wet his pants. “...Oh dear.” He took a step back. Had he gone too far? Surely not. ‘I thought I held back.’ He had deliberately avoided striking directly and aimed to the side instead. Though the martial arts stage was in shambles, by his standards, this was moderate. He had left Chu without any physical injuries. In his view, he had been fairly lenient. Yet, to end up in such a state over something so minor? ‘I only used just a trace of my energy, just in case.’ He hadn't employed techniques like Tuapacheonmu, Cheonmashingong, or even Guyeomhwalungong. Just to be safe. Although he wasn’t planning to hit directly, he couldn’t risk it being fatal if it grazed past. Despite his caution... ‘To think just grazing him would lead to this state.’ For someone with such a brash attitude, he seemed surprisingly fragile. “Hmph.” He dusted himself off and retreated to create distance, turning his gaze towards the judge. “Is it over?” “...” The judge remained speechless, merely staring at Chu Yeongyeon. The same was true for everyone else. “Chu Yeongyeon... reduced to that state...” “What on earth was that just now-?” “How could the skill level...” Perhaps it was because he didn't bother to hide his power. Everyone was looking at him with a mix of shock and awe. He hadn’t intended to conceal his abilities from the start, so it wasn't a problem for him. ‘It stings.’ Especially intense glares were coming from the direction where Cheolhyun Buseon was seated. The Sword Queen and Sword Venerable were there as well. Perhaps he had overdone it. Perhaps he should have masked some of his abilities. ‘...But here I am, after all, so why hold back?’ There's a limit to concealing power. He didn't want to keep up the charade away from his original world. ‘And besides.’ It was hard to even regard it as his own power entirely. He glanced at the audience. He only utilized the energy his mother had bestowed upon him. ‘...It’s already drained dry after just one use.’ The borrowed energy was long gone. To think it was used up that quickly. It was leaking from the moment he received it, and he couldn’t hold on to it for long. ‘In the end.’ It was a temporary solution—a stopgap only possible when his mother was around. ‘Tsk.’ He clenched his fist. With this much, maybe it was time to take a genuine break. After all, he’d already showcased his power. ‘The remaining energy.’ Would soon dissipate as well. As he wistfully regarded the long-missed energy he had received... Swooosh. “...!” His eyes widened. He quickly turned his head. From a faraway place, beyond the audience, he perceived something strange. Something that he couldn't detect without his energy was emanating from that place. ‘This is...’ With a grimace, he began to search for the source of the energy. The energy was... ‘Blood Demon’s energy.’ It was the aura belonging to the Blood Demon. Where was this bloodthirsty scent coming from? Before his energy could drop, he heightened his perception to the utmost. And as he delved deeper... ‘I found it.’ He identified the source of the energy. The people surrounding the martial arts stage. The only group not participating in the Sword Dance Festival. Wind Dragon Unit. They were the formation practitioners set up for security’s sake. In that place, there was one person. A young man with an ordinary appearance. He pinpointed him. Even from a considerable distance, the youth was definitely watching him. Both locked eyes, as his gaze filled with heightened perception met the youth’s. It was at that moment. - Ah, well. It was no illusion. - I’ve been caught. The youth mouthed the words at him. At the sight, he mustered strength in his thigh. A chill swept over him. His instincts surged to his throat. As soon as he laid eyes on the figure, he felt an overwhelming urge to kill. ‘Tantalizing.’ A rumble of hunger stirred within his gut. That figure was inside the alliance. It was something he had anticipated. He had planned to search, pondered how to approach upon finding, but... ‘...I’ll kill him.’ Upon recognizing the figure, he came to a realization. He could not leave him be. For reasons unknown, he felt he had to capture him right away. With or without his energy, he needed to rush at the figure, and he summoned his shadow. It writhed. He paid no heed to the surrounding gazes and reactions. And just as he was about to rush towards the figure... - Tch, tch... The figure chuckled. - You can’t do that. It’s already too late. With a gesture of his thumb, he made a flicking motion. It was then. Thudthudthudthudthud----!!!! A violent tremor shook the entire place. Suddenly, an earthquake? “Gasp!?” “Whoa!?” The martial artists reacted. Tae Hoan was the first to move. “Protect the Leader-!” The Divine Dragon Unit, the Leader's personal troops, immediately moved towards Sword Venerable. The tremor was powerful enough to shake his stance. The real issue was... ‘...This vibration is...’ The current tremors had an air of familiarity about them. Thudthudthudthud--!!! With a crash. Long ago. Back before he had regressed, when numerous post-heavenly warriors gathered during a festival at the Martial Alliance. Memories of an incident occurring during that time flashed through his mind. An atmosphere and vibration that he knew well. Screeeeeeech---!!! Panic surged. Everyone looked towards the masters. Cheolhyun Buseon stood with a firm expression trying to assess the situation, as did Paejon. “Calm yourselves. Evacuate first-.” The Sword Venerable rose, attempting to restore order. Crack-!!! The tremor violently erupted, making it clear it wouldn’t wait. “Damn it.” His face scrunched. He strengthened his legs, looking towards where Mi Hyoran and his mother were. At this speed, he might be too late. He intended to run towards that direction, setting Blood Demon aside for now, but noticed someone was rushing toward his direction from afar. ‘Mother?’ His mother, with her face covered, was running towards him. “Don’t go!” Mi Hyoran tried to grab his mother, but she couldn’t stop her bare-footed sprint. Seeing this, he thought of moving again himself, but— Screeeeeeech---!!! It finally began. “This is!” “A Demonic Mirror Gate...!?” “Why is a Demonic Mirror Gate appearing...? The Magical Reversal Formation wasn’t triggered...!” The Demonic Mirror Gate appeared. Not floating in the air or on the ground, but within the ground itself. The Demonic Mirror Gate opened across a wide expanse of the ground as if an eye had been unveiled. The ground beneath their feet disappeared, causing people to float momentarily in mid-air. "Baek Yangcheon!" It was a loud shout—his father's voice. His father, holding Soi close, reached out towards him. Gritting his teeth, just as he was about to grab that hand— "Please." Blood Demon's voice whispered in his ear. "I hope to witness another anomaly this time as well." Whoosh—!! “...!” A fierce gust swept through, shaking his body. Unable to grasp his father's hand, he watched helplessly. The opened Demonic Mirror Gate formed a massive mouth and swallowed them whole. And then darkness descended. * * * ... It was dark. As this realization set in, his consciousness gradually returned. He was engulfed in pitch-black darkness. “...Gasp...” The moment he sensed it, he opened his eyes wide. He immediately raised his body and turned his head. He scanned his surroundings as if to understand his situation. “Ah, damn.” The first thing out of his mouth was a curse. “...This damn place...” Grinding his teeth at the all-too-familiar scenery, he took stock of his surroundings. He wasn’t in Hanam, where he was originally, and he certainly wasn’t on the martial arts stage of the Martial Alliance. The withered land. Trees that appeared murky. And beyond that— ‘A blood-red sky.’ The sky was nauseatingly red, and the air itself felt repulsive. Feeling all this, he bit his lip hard. ‘To think I’ve come back here.’ He stood up. This was a familiar place. Of course, it was, since he had been holed up here for several years in his past life and spent another year after regressing due to personal reasons. “Damn it.” The Demonic Mirror Gate Incident. It referred to the time when a massive Demonic Mirror Gate transferred all gathered post-heavenly warriors during a Martial Alliance festival into the Demonic Mirror World. The vibration and situation were identical to back then. To think he’d experience this again now. ‘Who would have thought I’d go through this again.’ He hadn’t anticipated encountering something similar to what happened back then. Crunch. He clenched his fist. “Ha.” Blood Demon. He knew it was that bastard's doing. How could he not when the situation all pointed toward it? ‘I couldn't detect it.’ He was unable to sense the presence of Blood Demon due to lacking energy. Had he possessed his usual energy, he would have detected him earlier, but he hadn’t. Flap, flap, flap---!!! Birds took flight from the forest. Except, they looked like birds but weren’t actually birds. ‘Monsters.’ Monstrous beings. Their colors were too faint to discern their level, but a large number of them rose up. Evidently, this wretched land still teemed with vile creatures. ‘Others must have fallen somewhere too.’ If they were transferred together, there must be other humans around as well. ‘I need to find them.’ Though he wasn't overly concerned about the others, he was particularly worried about his mother and Mi Hyoran. First, he needed to assess the situation and look around. He headed into the forest. Crunch. The tree crumbled the moment he touched it. This place held no traces of life. With such stifling energy, sensing anything was impossible. The expanse was likely as vast as ever, making it difficult to find people easily here. ‘It took quite a while last time too.’ How long had it taken to reunite with the other post-heavenly warriors? He remembered wandering for at least a fortnight. ‘...Sigh.’ He grimaced. First things first, he needed to get moving. Just as he made that decision and was about to venture deeper— Crunch-! Swoosh-! “Hm?” Sounds reached his ears. What was it? Following the source of the loud noise, he found it wasn’t far. Thud-!! As he approached, a resounding noise of something crashing reached him. It wasn’t the sound of monsters. This was... ‘A person?’ It was the presence of a person. Certain of this, he stepped forward. Swipe. “...!” Something touched his neck. A dagger? He rolled his eyes in surprise. “Huh...?” “Oh my...?” He locked eyes with the owner of the dagger. The moment their gaze met, both froze in place. The figure standing before him was remarkably, the current era’s Poison Pheonix.