1262 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

What is up with that guy? The man pondered with suspicion. It was strange how he suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 'What is with that expression?' That expression approaching was odd. For a mere human to wear such an expression... 'Wait... is he not human?' The man furrowed his brow. Something was off about him—too fearsome for a human being. Is that even human...? While he was bewildered, his actions took precedence. Regardless, a human had appeared—whatever the reason might be. "I can't believe prey walked right into the lion's den." With a smirk, the man moved forward. "Have you lost your fear? Do you even know where you are?" "Why should I care?" "What?" *Crunch.* Baek Yangcheon crushed the ground beneath him as he advanced. The sight made the man pause. 'What's going on here?' It didn't make sense. 'Why can't I sense any energy?' How could nothing be sensed from that human? Just watching him was perplexing. There couldn't be absolutely nothing there. '...This is peculiar.' Even so, it wouldn't change anything. The man quickly stood upright. "Move. The prey has arrived." He commanded the monsters to seize him and offer him up. Despite the command: *Groooowl...* "Grrr...rrr..." "Hmm?" The monsters didn't charge. What was happening? Why were these creatures not obeying? "What are you doing? Move!" Even yelling again had the same result. The monsters were not responding, as if... '...They seem scared.' Frozen with fear of something. An impossible scenario. Monsters acted purely on simple instincts. Appetite. Or combat instincts. For creatures driven solely by a desire to kill and consume, to feel fear? "Absurd." What could instill fear in them? Could it be that human ahead? Sure, his face was intimidating, but that didn't account for everything. "Ridiculous." A human. Humans are weak against apostles. Feeling discomfort over something like that? The man couldn't accept it. 'Because I didn't want to.' To avoid turning into that, he chose the path of an apostle. What could make them scared of someone like him? "If you refuse to move, I will have to act myself." He resolved to hunt him down. With that thought alone, the man moved. *Thunk.* He gathered strength in his muscles and expanded his lower body. Pushing off the ground, he lunged at his opponent. His fingers sprouted claws, resembling those of a beast. "Hup!" He intended to kill him in an instant. With that thought, he swung his claw. Ordinarily, it would've been enough to rip the throat out, but— *Crash-!!* "What?" His outstretched claws pierced through thin air, embedding themselves in the ground. The target had effortlessly dodged them. "What...!" "What are you doing?" *Smack-!* "Ugh!?" His jaw shot upward. Taking advantage of his unsteady stance, Baek Yangcheon had kicked him in the chin. Pain surged through him. Clutching his jaw, he staggered back to regain distance. The man’s eyes widened. "...It hurts?" Why did it hurt? Attacks from martial artists shouldn't inflict pain; it was curiously painful. How could this be? "You. What are you?" "What else? I'm a guest." "...Are you trying to make jokes?" "Joking? You're making it sound disappointing." Baek Yangcheon laughed at that. "I just came to grab a meal because I was hungry, you see." "What are you saying?" "Hmm... Just that." With that, he concluded. “Quite literally.” *Boom-!!* Baek Yangcheon charged at the man. Seeing this, the man crouched low. Slow. Still, there was no energy to sense. His movements were surely slow. To someone like him, blessed with power, they would never land. *Rumble.* With the roar of a beast, fur sprouted across the man's body. The antlers protruding from his head grew larger. His body expanded, muscles swelling with strength. "I'll kill you." The enlarged man swung his hand, and the swift attack struck Baek Yangcheon hard. *Smack-!!* *Boom--!!* The impact slammed him into the wall. The sensation in his hand was unmistakable; it had been a solid hit. "Indeed." Perhaps it was just a coincidence. Stunned by a human presence, he must have made a mistake. With that thought, he moved toward the wall where his opponent was embedded. *Wobble.* "...!" Suddenly, his body wobbled. Trying to stabilize himself by placing strength on one leg. *Thump-!* He lost strength, collapsing to his knees. "...What is this?" Why was there no strength in his body? He was bewildered by the sudden turn of events when— *Creak.* From the direction of the wall, an indistinct sound emerged. *Creak... Creak...* It was the sound of something being adjusted and aligned. As the dust from the collapsed space cleared— "Huah." Baek Yangcheon slowly emerged from the dust. In a most grotesque manner. His body and limbs seemed twisted, incapable of functioning properly. *Crack.* But soon, his bones realigned visibly. What is this? What was he seeing? "Ah... It really hurts, though." "...What are you? Just what in the world...?" "Still managed to eat a bit. Not bad." "What?" "Be careful. Leave that as is and you'll lose your fur." He pointed, saying something incomprehensible. Following that, the man looked where he pointed. It was the arm he used to attack him. 'Huh?' It was strange. The fur from that area was gradually falling out. Witnessing this, he realized belatedly. 'The power-.' A substantial amount of his energy had drained. How had this happened? While pondering— "Though it felt a bit underwhelming, this should suffice." The one who uttered words he couldn't understand— "Let's continue, shall we?" Vanished mid-sentence. A voice echoed once more. "What are you doing?" "...!!" The opponent stood right before him. Instinctively, his body reacted, attempting to strike again by swinging his fist, but— *Slam!* "Huh!" His opponent merely blocked his attack effortlessly. Not only did he block it, but he then seized his arm tightly. As a result— *Rumble--!!!* "Ugh!!?" In an instant, energy began to drain from his body. It was happening at an alarming rate. If things kept up, he feared that, in the blink of an eye, it would all be gone. He forcefully pulled his hand back, retreating. "Gasp... Ugh..." More than half of his energy was gone. The man's pupils shook with disbelief. The fur covering his body was falling off in clumps. "What are you... Who in the world are you...?" He could feel his power being stolen, weakening him with each passing moment, and his voice trembled in fear. "I told you already." Baek Yangcheon laughed, seemingly amused by his reaction. "I came for a meal." "...." "Let's keep going." He took a step forward. Witnessing this, the man involuntarily stepped back. Feeling this, his body stiffened. No way. Was he, too, feeling fear? It was hard to believe. "Not going to make a move?" Was that reaction problematic? Suddenly, a hint of weariness crossed Baek Yangcheon's face. "Then, I'll do it." He gave no time to respond. *Crack-!!* "Ugh!!!" In an instant, Baek Yangcheon lunged and grabbed the man's throat. "Guah!" He needed to escape. Pouring all his strength to break away, but— *Squeeze-!!* "......Argh!!?" A sudden surge of dark energy erupted from the ground and clamped around the man's legs. His center of gravity collapsed, and just like that, he fell to the ground. *Thud.* With his throat firmly gripped, he lay on the ground. *Ssssss---!!!* Energy continued to be siphoned away. "Ugh... Urk!! Let...! Let me go...!" He had to escape. If this went on, he would die. He became an apostle to survive, but it couldn't end like this. Trying to flee by force, but as more energy was drained, his strength waned. "...This, this can't be happening... Please...." He was about to plead for his life. "Shut up." Meeting Baek Yangcheon's gaze, the man fell silent. His eyes, a piercing, icy blue, were filled with disdain. "Begging for your life here is a pretty shameless thing to do." *Crack.* "Shouldn't you have cleared those bones piled up in the corner first before saying that?" Hearing those words, the man rolled his eyes towards the corner of the room. There lay a heap of human bones. "I've been through enough that I can overlook the gross depravity." *Fwoosh-!!!* The energy within Baek Yangcheon drained to its last drop. "Guh...urgh...." "You shouldn’t have enjoyed it, you fool." "Huff..." Soon, every last ounce of energy was absorbed. Immediately, the man started to wither. The fur that had covered his body was all gone, and his once-bulging physique shrank rapidly. "Pant... Pant... Huff...." Even the labored breath he struggled to draw started to weaken. *Thud.* As his arms fell to the ground, his body crumbled away. "......" An apostle meeting a swift end. Baek Yangcheon stood upright, observing him. *Growl... Grr...* As the monsters trembled in terror. *Fwoooosh--!!!* Flames erupted from Baek Yangcheon's body, engulfing the monsters in fire. *Screeeech--!!* Caught in the inferno, the monsters were incinerated, along with the human bones gathered in the corner. "Whew." Drawing a deep breath, Baek Yangcheon spoke. "Not bad for a first meal." His expression, as he uttered those words, Was tinged with considerable annoyance. Oddly so.