1249 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"Arghhh!" Chu Youngyeon let out a scream, clutching his torn arm as he crumpled to the floor. "Ungh... Urghh!" His face turned crimson, evidence of his extreme pain. "You... you bastard..." He gritted his teeth, prompting a smirk from me. ‘Interesting.’ The reaction was far better than I had predicted. I didn’t expect him to actually devour his own left arm. From this, I gleaned one key insight. ‘That bastard.’ The silver aura earlier wasn't a mere power. ‘His very existence is akin to a power.’ A ravenous hunger bore witness to this. The aura didn’t just trigger my greed. A throbbing heart and a burgeoning hunger within me confirmed it. Somewhere between desire and thirst, I examined his body. ‘A power, indeed.’ Whether it’s due to him being a sentinel or unique to him alone, it was clear that. ‘This flesh is a power unto itself.’ The Greed, adept at nullifying and consuming powers, was uniquely suited to devour such a being. "You scoundrel…! What have you done?!" “What do you mean, what did I do?” Writhing. The shadow wriggled once more. “Just having a meal.” “Nonsense…!!” Chu Youngyeon let out a bellow, charging at me. Despite his arm being torn, he seemed unfazed, intent on thrashing me with his remaining arm. Crunch. “Urgh…!” His foot was caught by the shadow that oozed forward, causing him to stumble. Seizing the opportunity, I clutched his neck. “Damn it! You bastard…!” He writhed, desperately trying to break free. Normally, with such a strengthened flesh brimming with energy, holding him would have been impossible. Buzzing. 'Oh?' “Aughhh!?” The feeling, resonating from my heart, surprised both him and me alike. Sss--!!! Energy started pouring in. My ‘Demonic Heaven Absorption Technique,’ which had been dormant, activated the moment I caught him. The energy flowed in. “This… what is this...?” His veins bulged. “How…” The energy was murky—unsavory, so to speak. It didn’t harmonize well with me, but. ‘Still.’ The influx of energy was what mattered. Around my heart, energy began to accumulate bit by bit. “Urgh… Urgh! You—!” Wham! With all his might, Chu Youngyeon swatted my arm away. After putting some distance between us, he clutched his neck and coughed weakly. His condition was dire. “…What, just what did you do to me?” His visage, with veins protruding and a face seeming suddenly aged, conveyed his deteriorating state, his eyes shaking with fear. "I asked you—what did you do to me?!" “...Hmm.” I wiggled my fingers. I had consumed a fair amount of energy, which wasn't bad. More importantly. ‘I’m recharging.’ By siphoning energy from him, I retrieved it. Though the energy was meager, it was pivotal. ‘It doesn’t diminish.’ Unlike when I received it from my mother, there was no sign of depletion. ‘Not bad at all...’ Not bad indeed. Is this the method to recover my energy? Can the vitality extracted from a sentinel be retained within? Or. ‘Is this merely a temporary charge?’ Perhaps it's just temporary rather than true recovery. “Answer me—!!” Chu Youngyeon shouted loudly. I clicked my tongue in response. "Noisy." “I… by the power granted from a great one, I became a sentinel... How could you...!” “It’s probably because that granted power is pathetic.” “That can’t be. This body has transcended humanity. There’s no way someone like you could best me!” “Stop spouting nonsense.” A body beyond human? That's just pure madness. “A half-baked effort usually results in weakness.” “…Half-baked?” “Enough.” Explaining was pointless. ‘With energy replenished.’ Why not give it a try? I spread my hands. “Impossible…” At that moment, a silver aura erupted from Chu Youngyeon's body. “I cannot accept it. Not again… not again...!” Regardless of his babbling. Whoosh--!!! It had been a while since I'd conjured flame. A crisp blue flame encircled my hand, subsequently coalescing into a neat sphere upon my palm. ‘It’s been ages, hasn’t it?’ Flame Jade. Unfamiliar from its recent disuse, it stirred peculiar sensations within me. Hiss--!! But that didn’t mean I’d lost my touch. I immediately crafted the Holy Spear. “What is that?” Chu Youngyeon’s eyes filled with terror as he looked at the Flaming Jade Holy Spear. “It’s just something I have.” I gripped the spear, aiming it at him. “Are you coming?” “…Urgh!” Barely containing his fury, Chu Youngyeon clenched his teeth hard. I noticed even more energy converging, despite having consumed a significant portion. Had there been that much left? “…In the name of the great one.” The silver aura finally took a massive shape. “Arghhhh!!” Chu Youngyeon lunged at me with his fist. Light collided with light. As the immense radiance cascaded toward me. “Inhale.” I focused all my strength and thrust the Holy Spear. Hiss-. With a brief sound, the Holy Spear pierced through the light. Upon contact with his flesh, it went. Thunk. With a dull sound accompanying it. BOOMMMMM----!!!! The flames erupted violently. The sheer sound and force created a turbulent shockwave, blowing open the mouth of the cave entirely. Although it didn’t contain an excessive amount of energy, the explosive power, enhanced by compression and rotation, was incredibly fierce. Kyaahhh--!!! The gathered monsters were swept away, vanishing in its wake. There were also warriors behind. “This is madness! The others…!” Tang Cheongi, whose mind was teetering on the edge, cried out as he surveyed the scene. “Don't fret.” I waved my hand, dismissing Tang Cheongi's worries. “They won’t die.” “What…?” He looked puzzled by my words. But explaining was tiresome. It was better just to show him. Whoosh... The embers began to die down. The aftermath of the explosion was intense, leaving a gaping hole where the cave entrance used to be. Chu Youngyeon had long since vanished without a trace. The same went for the monsters. "Uh...?" "…Are we alive?" The warriors caught in the light were surprisingly unscathed. "How… how is this possible...?" Tang Cheongi spoke, astonished. I responded tersely. "What's there to it? Just adjust the blast so it barely misses." "…What did you say?" "You didn't get it?" "To say you controlled all that energy..." "Exactly." By controlling the blaze, I ensured it harmed only the monsters and Chu Youngyeon, sparing the other warriors. "Isn’t that manageable?" Is it really so complex? Why don’t they understand, I wondered. "……." Tang Cheongi was at a loss for words, his mouth agape. "Wow…." Poison Phoenix looked at me with eyes full of admiration, which was somewhat overwhelming. "Hmm…." I averted my gaze, scanning the surroundings. After a brief assessment, I spoke up. "Should we really be standing around like this?" "…Huh?" "The shockwave could attract more monsters or other threats." "Ah…!" Poison Phoenix quickly got to his feet, realization dawning on him. "…You're right. We should move." He stood, battling fatigue, and addressed the others. "Everyone…! Help the injured…! We must move immediately." At Poison Phoenix's urging, those still in shock snapped out of it and began assisting their comrades. "Do we have anywhere to go?" The so-called refuge had been destroyed. Was there any place left to escape to? Hearing my question, Poison Phoenix’s face clouded. "…There is, but it’s uncertain." "Uncertain?" "Yes. Whether they'll welcome us or not is another matter." "By 'they'... you mean..." "It is a place where others still are," Poison Phoenix admitted after a pause. There were indeed several such places. "Sister... are we heading north?" Tang Cheongi suddenly raised his head at the mention. "…Are we really going to the northern refuge?" "There's no other choice right now." "We shouldn't…." Tang Cheongi reacted strongly to the mention of the north. "The people there don't trust outsiders, nor do they even value human life. Why did we escape from there?" The implication was distressing. A place that treats human life so carelessly? "It might be better to establish another refuge." "With our current numbers, setting up a new base is impractical. Especially if the sentinel has already uncovered our location… we don’t even have time to settle." "But…" "There are no other options. Unless we come up with something else, this is the way." "Excuse me." I interjected during their discussion. "Where exactly are we headed?" What kind of place was provoking such fierce debate? Poison Phoenix glanced at me, hesitating. What's with that look? Why look at me like that? I couldn’t fathom it. More over, unable to answer, they hesitated, leaving me to question further out of frustration. "The northern refuge... is managed by a young leader of the Baekhwa Sect." "…What?" I widened my eyes at that. Who? ‘If it's the young leader of the Baekhwa Sect…’ A certain face came to mind instantly. "…Lady Mi?" Mi Hyoran. It seemed the north was under her care.