1258 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Whoosh. Floating in the air was something reminiscent of the sun. Its color was unusual, yet the sky itself was so paradoxical that this oddity seemed to blend in seamlessly. A gray flame. As I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from its flickering form. “......Damn!” He, the Iron Dragon Deputy Leader, reacted upon seeing it. “How could...that man is now...!” There was no time for me to ask questions. He immediately grabbed my wrist. “It’s dangerous... We must flee...” “Flee?” I furrowed my brows at his words. “First you suspect me of being a demon, and now you want us to run away?” “...I’ll explain the situation later. For now, we must...” “Besides.” No matter what words were exchanged. “It’s already too late.” The situation was beyond control by now. Thud---!!! The burning flame descended. It accelerated swiftly, much like a meteor falling from the sky. It was clear to anyone that it was heading straight toward us. And soon enough. Boom---!!! The flame struck the ground and exploded instantly. Though the impact wasn’t overwhelming. “Ow.” The heat it emitted was undeniable. “...I’ve heard all sorts of things but only half believed them.” From within the gray flame emerged— Step. Someone walked out. A large and imposing figure with fierce eyes, yet a handsome man with striking features. Normally, one would expect him to have fiery red eyes. But for some reason, his eyes glimmered a gray hue. Another difference was— “You look rather strange, Deputy Leader.” A notable horn jutted prominently from his forehead. “...” It was father. Father appeared amidst the bursting flames. “...Gu Cheolun!” The Iron Dragon Deputy Leader gasped at the sight. Then, Father glanced at both the deputy leader and me, and spoke expressionlessly. “Found you.” It was a quiet voice. And yet— Whoosh---!!! Contrary to his quiet voice, a massive flame swirled around his hand. “...Wow.” I started to break out in a cold sweat upon seeing that. “Your intentions are quite clear.” There seemed to be no room for conversation. Whoosh-!!!! The raging fire gathered in his hand, forming a flaming orb. As expected, its color was gray. ‘So he’s become a demon.’ There’s quite the change. ‘That flame is incredibly threatening.’ It’s even fiercer and more intense than the flames Father used in this era. At the same time, there’s a sense of undeniable killing intent. He never used such killing intent before, even if his aura was overwhelming. Taking my stance, I called out silently, "Hey." “……!” I quietly addressed the Iron Dragon Deputy Leader. “You should be able to move now. Get out of here on your own.” “What do you mean by…!” “Staying here will only be a hindrance. Are you not listening?” “……!” “Don’t make me repeat myself. I’ve been lenient enough. Just get away, please.” With those words, I pushed off from the ground. As I charged in, Father extended his hand toward me. The flaming orb shrank in size. Then— Boom!!! It exploded from his hand, showering down like rays of light. Whoosh-!! I narrowly avoided it by increasing my speed. Crash---!!! The ray shot past, igniting the ground with a powerful explosion. ‘...This is troublesome.’ What’s with that concentration and rotation power? What change occurred while I wasn’t looking? ‘He’s already surpassed the initial stage of flame mastery.’ It seemed he had moved beyond the early stage of flame mastery to a more mature level. Whether it was due to becoming a demon or something that happened over the past year, I didn’t know. ‘In any case.’ At least he’s not dead. I guess that’s a relief. If it can even be called that amidst this mess. ‘Relief, my foot.’ Tightening my stance, I collected my thoughts. “Deputy Leader, you’ve become quite intimidating since I last saw you.” I attempted to approach cautiously, but. “…….” Father did not reply. Instead, he merely conjured another blaze. “Hmm...” Is this how it always is when someone becomes a demon? His hostility is no joke. ‘...I have to fight Father?’ This isn’t good. I’ve never had a favorable outcome when fighting Father before. But even so. ‘I have no choice but to fight now.’ It seemed necessary to gauge his condition, among other things. And if not— ‘Let’s see.’ Now was the time to see if this time would be any different. Whoosh-! I felt the flames approaching. My heart sank at the sight. ‘Tam.’ Squeeeak. The shadows quivered. Tam surged forward, aiming to engulf Father’s flames. Hesitation! “Huh?” Tam paused right before the flames only to retreat back into the shadows. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding...!” As a result, the flames gushed toward me, forcing me to desperately dodge. Boom!!! Clenching my teeth, I watched the fire rip through the ground. ‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’ The once-devour-anything Tam refused to consume Father’s flames. What sort of nonsense is this? I was caught off guard. Tam was supposed to consume anything with authority. ‘So why these flames?’ Could Father’s flames not fall within that category? ‘But they do.’ The scent of authority was distinct. There was definitely something there, yet Tam refused. It's perplexing. ‘This is a problem.’ If Tam doesn’t work against the flames, it means I’ll have to engage physically. “...Damn it.” Stomp. I stomped the ground with force. The gray flames shimmered and blazed all over Father’s body. ‘Should I use Tuapacheonmu?’ I pondered over which martial art technique to employ. There wasn't much time to dwell on it. ‘Tsk.’ Just as I was about to infuse divine energy into my body for Tuapacheonmu. ‘...No, that won’t work.’ I reconsidered. Using Tuapacheonmu in my current state wasn’t cost-effective. One or two uses and my aura would be in disarray. In that case, there’s no other choice. Whoosh. “...?” I coated my hand with a Blue flame. When it wrapped around my fist, a flicker of recognition flashed in Father’s eyes. Crunch. I stomped the ground again, just like Father, but I didn’t enshroud my entire body in flames. I concentrated and compressed the flame, holding it in my hand. A flame orb. I condensed the intensely focused sphere into the air. Then. “Huup.” With a shout, I punched the sphere. Thud-!!! The flame orb hurled toward Father at an incredible speed. Upon witnessing this, Father too hurled his flame orb. Crash-! The orbs collided and erupted in a spectacular explosion. The flames, each tinged with a different hue, intertwined and soared skyward. The surrounding air shimmered and transformed, becoming oppressively hot. Flames warped into a vortex as they swirled violently. Amidst this, I focused my mind’s eye. I was searching for Father’s position. ‘Found him.’ Before long, I pinpointed his location. He hadn’t moved from his original spot. Having located him, it was time to launch an attack. I infused my legs with flames and struck out. Guyeom Taeryeongak. Flames spewed forth as my kick flew towards Father. Boom---!!! The ground was left in ruins. The azure flames engulfed the area entirely. Normally, everything would have been incinerated. ‘Still.’ I believed Father wouldn’t succumb to mere flames like these. Whoosh. Gathering my energy, I accelerated. I plunged into the flames. Clench—!! ‘As expected.’ I grasped something. Peering through the haze, I cleared my view. It was a neck. I had seized Father by the throat. Still expressionless, he gazed at me with his subtle eyes, sending a chill down my spine. Instinctively, I strengthened my grip and flung Father away. Thud. His body crashed to the ground. Shhhhh. Emerging slowly from the debris, Father started to rise. Watching this, I questioned him. “Why are you like this?” “…….” “You aren’t the type to become a demon. How did you end up doing such a thing?” Becoming a demon, out of the blue—fine if it were anyone else, but Father turning into a demon? I couldn't comprehend it. “There must be a reason, right? Otherwise...” As I tried to understand, Father spoke. “Foolish.” He looked at me. “What do you know about me?” “……That’s...” “I thought you were dead. Yet, you’ve survived. It seems it was you he was curious about.” “...Deputy Leader.” “I will not entertain foolish chatter.” Whoosh. Once again, Father conjured flames. He concentrated them in his hand. Yet, something seemed different about it. ‘Not a flame orb.’ It wasn’t a spherical flame orb. It resembled a more conventional flame. Then, slowly, it began to transform. ‘What is that…?’ An archery bow. It took the form of a giant longbow. A flame-formed arrow appeared on the bowstring simultaneously. Seeing this, my body reacted instinctively. Guyeom Taeryeongak. I expanded the flames surrounding me. In my hand, I held another flame orb as I charged. This was a technique I had never seen. Or was it even a technique? Whatever it was, I had to stop it. I dove in to attack, driven by that sole thought. Swish. The arrow’s trajectory became clear, and my body halted. Fwoop. The flame arrow flew— Not at me, but towards the Iron Dragon Deputy Leader. Just as the arrow was about to strike the deputy leader— “Crap—.” Pow-! I retracted the flames immediately and detonated them in my palm. Using the force to propel myself backward, I positioned myself in front of the deputy leader. BOOOOM---!!!! “...Baek Yangcheon?” The Iron Dragon Deputy Leader looked at me with astonished eyes. “Why did you...?” “...Ugh, damn. That hurts.” I spat the blood pooling in my mouth. Pain radiated through one of my arms. It seemed to have taken a direct hit. Fortunately, it appeared to be just a fracture. ‘This is bad.’ The energy I had left was depleted from that last defense. ‘What now?’ This situation was becoming dire. “I never thought the Deputy Leader would resort to such underhanded tactics.” I looked at Father. He was not one to fight in such a petty manner. To my questioning gaze— “The same goes for me.” Father said as he took aim with another arrow. “I didn’t expect you to protect him.” “...Exactly.” It seemed like a mistake on my part. I shouldn’t have intervened. “Sigh...” Exhaling deeply, I glanced at my trembling arm. What should I do now? Tam wasn’t working, and my energy was depleted. What could resolve this situation? If this continued, Father might actually kill me. I racked my brain, searching for a solution. And yet— “It’s over.” Fwoop—! Father showed no inclination to wait, cocking another arrow and releasing it. As the arrow was about to reach us— “Close your eyes.” An inexplicably familiar voice spoke along with. Whooosh—!!! Suddenly, my world was plunged into unexpected darkness.