1247 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

RUMBLE!!! A tremendous tremor enveloped the cave. In the midst of the quaking surroundings, the young man, the Poison Dragon Tang Cheongi, clenched his teeth. A malevolent aura was suffocating the area. "Damn it." A faint breath escaped through his tightly clenched teeth. Judging by the tremor, one could tell exactly how he felt. "The Apostle...! The Apostle has appeared!" "Damn it...! Why...?!" They had managed to remain hidden for so long, enduring without being discovered. But now, a sudden attack had caught them off guard. RUMBLE!!! ROAAAR!!! The sound of the monsters' cries echoed in the distance, reverberating throughout. "Hold the line! We must hold them!" BAM! The battle commenced. Martial artists employed their inner energy, engaging in fierce combat. In response, the hoard of monsters advanced relentlessly. SWOOSH! Tang Cheongi drew his dagger. With a swift throw, the dagger embedded itself directly between a monster’s eyes. SQUEAL! The creature, struck in a vital spot, collapsed instantly. But it was just one down. Tang Cheongi gathered strength in his legs and charged forward. He aimed to stop the advancing monstrosities. But. ‘How did this happen?’ Questions kept surfacing in his mind. How had they been discovered? They had been doing just fine up until now. He couldn't comprehend the sudden attack. However. ‘Could it be?’ Not understanding didn’t mean there wasn’t a reason. ‘That guy?’ That guy. The one his sister brought, Baek Yangcheon. He who claimed to be human but revealed himself as an Apostle, that wretched being. That guy appeared in Tang Cheongi’s thoughts. ‘It was him.’ Without a doubt, the attack happened upon his arrival. There was only one thing to blame. ‘Damn it. I wondered why he was captured so easily.’ Was all of this by design? Was it intentional? ‘What a fool.’ Tang Cheongi cursed himself. ‘Should have killed him.’ He shouldn’t have just locked him up, but killed him. From the very start, the moment he laid eyes on him, he should have been dealt with. His sister had said he couldn’t be killed even if they tried. ‘But even so.’ Being passive was never the right choice. He should have done something. In this ghastly situation, one shouldn’t have harbored even the slightest of trust. “Poison Dragon!” A martial artist's cry reached him. Tang Cheongi turned his head to take action. SWISH! His dagger cut through the air with a chilling sound once again. THUNK-THUNK-THUNK-THUNK!!! The daggers embedded themselves in the monsters in succession. Perhaps because they needed to forcefully penetrate the cave, the monsters were relatively small in stature. This implied that there were many more of them pressing in due to their small size. ROAAAAR!!! “ARGH!” As expected, the swarm surged in, and the martial artists began to fall victim to them. Seeing this, Tang Cheongi hurriedly moved to rescue a martial artist. But. SWISH--- A flash moved in, even faster than he could react. A light green flash drew a line through the air. SHUDDERR--!!! In an instant, the monsters were sliced down. It happened in a blink. Within moments, dozens of monsters were slain, their blood scattering everywhere. Watching this, Tang Cheongi quietly murmured. “Sister….” At the whispered words, the flash came to a halt. The figure grasping a dagger was the Poison Phoenix. Her icy gaze swept the surroundings, making even the martial artists nearby hesitate. WHOOSH. The dagger spun and was grasped anew, a green inner energy enveloping her form. “…….” Tang Cheongi swallowed. She was still powerful. Perhaps even more so than before. Indeed, her talent was incomparable to his. Such a person. ‘Why.’ Why did she fall for that bizarre man and create this calamity? Resentment boiled within Tang Cheongi. “……What happened?” Poison Phoenix inquired. “The Apostle has attacked.” “……Right now?” She continued speaking while dealing with the monsters. “It’s baffling how they knew. They ignored other larger groups and came directly at us….” As a martial artist expressed his confusion, unable to comprehend, Tang Cheongi could no longer hold back and interjected. “It’s because of him.” All eyes turned toward Tang Cheongi at his words. “The one you captured. It's obvious he’s the one who summoned them...!” “If you mean that guy….” “Sister. What on earth did you trust to bring him in?” Arrows of resentment were now directed at Poison Phoenix. “He was an Apostle. Not even human. Thanks to your lack of proper identification, we've wound up in this mess. Are you satisfied now?” “…….” Poison Phoenix said nothing, simply looking at Tang Cheongi. Her gaze was always intimidating, and it was no different now. Yet, Tang Cheongi could not retreat. “If these people die, it will all be your fault.” “……Poison Dragon!” “That’s….” Everyone widened their eyes. They seemed startled by Tang Cheongi's bold words, yet none of them denied it. Then, shortly after, Poison Phoenix looked at him, closing her previously silent lips. “Cheongi.” The call, seemingly gentle yet not so, was on the verge of irking Tang Cheongi. BOOM!!! An immense aura of malevolence was released from the other side of the cave. The martial artists flinched at the sight. For this level of malevolence could belong to only one figure. “The Apostle….” “It’s the Apostle.” A being who had forsaken humanity and become a monster. The aura belonged to a fallen who had abandoned their convictions. “I found you.” A low voice raised the hairs on Tang Cheongi's back. CRACK. Someone emerged, tearing through the cave. Although human in build, their appearance was anything but. Horns jutting from their forehead. Eyes slit like those of a beast. Skin that seemed unnaturally created. “So here you were.” Upon seeing the figure appear, Tang Cheongi’s face twisted in disgust. “……The Apostle.” The Apostle had arrived. “It took quite a while to find you.” The grotesque being sneered, splitting their mouth into a grin. “The Master will be pleased. I’ve finally found you.” A hand pointed toward someone. Standing there was Poison Phoenix. The pointed Poison Phoenix furrowed her brow. “It’s been a while, Poison Phoenix.” “…….” Poison Phoenix did not respond. She merely gripped her dagger tighter. "Do you still hold the same beliefs? By now, it seems you should have reconsidered." "Shut up." SHH—!! A light green inner energy surged around Poison Phoenix’s body. "How did you find this place?" "Eyes and ears guided my path, sent by the Master." Eyes and ears. That phrase triggered Tang Cheongi to think of Baek Yangcheon. Was it really him? "Stop running and come to us." "Spewing filthy words, as always. Didn’t I tell you last time that I wouldn’t join?" In response to Poison Phoenix’s resolute statement, the Apostle laughed. "If you come to us, I will spare the others." "……." Hearing that, Poison Phoenix hesitated for a moment. The Apostle chuckled at her reaction. "You must realize that if things continue like this, everyone else will eventually die. Because of you." "……." Poison Phoenix’s eyes trembled upon hearing those words. As the Apostle attempted to further exploit this reaction. "Shut your mouth!" BAM! Tang Cheongi charged towards him. "Cheongi—!" Although Poison Phoenix urgently called out to him, Tang Cheongi was already lunging at the Apostle. "Did you think my sister could be corrupted by the likes of you?!" "Hmm…." Tang Cheongi unleashed a technique from the Tang family, grabbing hold of daggers infused with poison. He aimed to strike with precision, but. SNAP! "Urgh?!" The Apostle seized his wrist effortlessly. Following that, a knee drove into his abdomen. "Ugh—!" CRASH! Before he could even groan, Tang Cheongi’s body was slammed into the cave wall. "…Where do you think you're going, wretch?" With a disdainful look, the Apostle clicked his tongue. "It's disgusting how you jump into matters beyond your understanding. Fine." The Apostle amassed energy above his hand. The energy took on a sharp form. "Crushing you might just force her to listen." WHOOSH-!! The sound was brief as it shot toward Tang Cheongi. "Cheongi…!!" Poison Phoenix hurriedly dove in. Desperately, she shielded Tang Cheongi. At the brink of the strike piercing through Poison Phoenix— "Wow, what a mess." With a voice full of mischief. GRAB. Someone appeared and caught the attack. It was mere moments before it could reach Poison Phoenix. "…Hmm?" The Apostle squinted at the newcomer. Despite having caught the attack barehanded, a trail of blood dripped from his palm. Yet, the young man’s expression showed no hint of pain. CRUMBLE. The solidified energy, gripped in his hand, crumbled away. Perhaps because of this, the young man’s serene smile became all the more prominent. "Too noisy to get any sleep. Really annoying." "…You…?" The Apostle’s eyes widened at the sight of him. Could it be— "…YOU---!!" RUMBLE—!!! "Hm?" As the Apostle screamed, a wave of deadly aura emanated from him. The young man, Gu Yangcheon, tilted his head. Why is he suddenly acting that way? "Hahahaha—!!! I finally get to see you—!!" "…What?" What’s with this guy? The horned man was suddenly yelling furiously, which was quite unnerving. As Gu Yangcheon observed this, his gaze narrowed. "Oh." He observed the Apostle's face, suddenly coming to a realization. "You." The face was familiar. Despite the grotesque appearance, he’d definitely seen it before. Very recently, in fact. While it may have been a year ago for these people. For Gu Yangcheon, he had seen him just moments ago. The one called Apostle. His name surely was. Ah, yes. "Chu Yeongyeon." A martial artist from the Divine Dragon Division. The very one who was beaten down and even wet himself.