1278 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"Did this old man lose?" At my words, Cheolhyeol Buseon's expression changed. He seemed puzzled as if taken aback by my confidence in his defeat. "And why are you so certain?" "Who knows?" Even though he claimed victory, it didn't feel that way to me. Oddly enough, such a thought crossed my mind. ‘The Unbeaten One did not lose.’ The thought that the Unbeaten One hadn't truly been defeated kept lingering as I looked at Cheolhyeol Buseon. "Ha. Is it a haughty belief in your master? Understandable. Bijuu is indeed a formidable warrior. However." A gust of wind began to gather around Cheolhyeol Buseon. "Reality doesn't change, you whelp." "......" "The game of tag is over. This time, the roles need reversing." Wooooong-!! My chest vibrated. It was an instinctive surge of energy. My pressure points expanded, and I went into a state of tension. "Let's see you run. With all your might." I shuddered at his deep, unsettling laughter. Watching him, I laughed too. "If I return the claw, will you let me go?" "Hahaha—." Cheolhyeol Buseon burst into laughter at my words. He laughed briefly, then his face hardened. "Your jokes go too far. You have no intention of returning it." "Alas." I swept my hand over my face, feigning disappointment. "You old folk sure catch on quickly." "I felt it from the first time I met you." Snap—. The wind that had been blowing stopped. "Is it because you're brimming with talent?" That was the turning point. "You're quite arrogant." Kwagwagwag—!!! The wind from heaven and earth all rushed toward me. I moved, escaping from the space. A massive crack formed in the ground. It seemed absurd for the damage to be caused solely by wind. ‘It’s not just any wind.’ Upon feeling the wind pressure, I furrowed my brow deeply. The ki embedded in the wind was overwhelming in amount. To create such pressure with that quantity... ‘...Is this the famous Cheolhyeol Buseon?’ I had heard tales. To be precise, after arriving in this world and encountering Cheolhyeol Buseon, I learned about him. Who is this martial artist known as Cheolhyeol Buseon? I once sought to understand. ‘I thought he was a martial artist who relied on fist techniques.’ My mistake. Cheolhyeol Buseon was... ‘A man who wields lines.’ A warrior who employs techniques using a fan. Right now, Cheolhyeol Buseon's hands were empty. ‘When he stirs the winds.’ It was said heaven and earth would transform. I am now realizing that the exaggerated description was not an exaggeration at all. Moreover... ‘Every one of those who became Apostles has gotten stronger.’ There’s no judging how much more powerful the man once called the strongest in the world has become. ‘Therefore.’ Focus was essential. Kwaaahhh---!!! The wind rushed in from both sides. I immediately stretched my hand upward. Bang-!!! Expelling my energy, I utilized the shock to propel myself downward. Plummeting swiftly, I evaded the wind. However. Woooosh-!!! The wind was omnipresent. I opened my inner eye. While unseen, the inner eye perceived the wind differently. ‘So many, it’s filthy.’ Countless gusts caught my attention. Landing on the ground, I leapt immediately. Whoosh-!! Piercing through, I accelerated my body's pace. Boom-! Boom boom-! The sound of bursting wind echoed. Leaving it behind, I instantly dashed into Cheolhyeol Buseon's embrace at top speed. “Haha.” Cheolhyeol Buseon chuckled as he saw me. Ignoring him, I gathered ki into my hand. Screeeeeech-!!! Grabbing the pre-heated Chaos in my hand before leaping. Heavenly Demon's Bead. Though I was on the verge of completing the compression of Chaos... ‘Just a bit.’ There was a minuscule lack of time. Hence, I needed to buy time. Cheolhyeol Buseon moved his remaining right hand. -Freeze. "……!" Halt-! Utilizing a command, I temporarily froze Cheolhyeol Buseon's body in place. Gulp-! Blood surged within, a severe rebound. It seemed I could hold it only briefly. But that was enough. ‘With this moment.’ It was enough to complete. Grabbing the Heavenly Demon's Bead, I drove it directly into Cheolhyeol Buseon’s chest. Thump-! With a tremor, the Heavenly Demon's Bead exploded. Screeeeeeeeech-------!!!! The ki screamed as it detonated. I gained distance amidst the chaotic energy. Moving my left wrist that had pushed in the Bead, I bit my lip. ‘Tsk.’ I clicked my tongue. The explosion surely occurred as planned. At this range, the impact should have hit perfectly. “Hahaha.” Judging by the vile laugh, it seems that wasn't the case. Wooosh-!! My ki, tangled and swept by the wind, soared. The wind roared, preventing even a momentary obstruction of vision. “Impressive.” Wooooong. Why is he unscathed? Seeing the emerging Cheolhyeol Buseon answered that. ‘...He diverted the impact with wind pressure.’ Cheolhyeol Buseon's chest. There, small yet violently compressed wind swirled with incredible speed. He hadn't blocked it merely with strong ki. He diverted it with the wind. Of course. ‘There must have been some impact.’ Seemingly unbothered, Cheolhyeol Buseon brushed off his chest. I too wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. The taste of blood was irritating. ‘That command can’t be used twice.’ I understood in one try. Attempting again would likely wreak havoc internally. “Hoo.” I steadied my energy. “Is that all you’ve got?” “No. There’s more to do.” “Every time I see it, your spirit is commendable. Indeed... I should have taken you as a disciple.” “No need. I already have too many to teach me.” With the Greatest Sword and the Greatest Fist of all time as my masters. There was never room for this old man among them. Furthermore. “You can’t teach me anything.” “Oh? Why do you think that?” “Look at your condition. In that state, what could you possibly teach me?” A body beyond human, fused with a monster and called a Apostle. If that’s the form he chose... “The way to abandon belief? Is that what you intend to teach?" I couldn't help but laugh. “That’s something I don't need.” It was a path I had worn weary from traveling. “Go away.” “…….” Cheolhyeol Buseon wiped the smile off his face at my words. “Well...” Sssss-!! The atmosphere shifted. "You have a knack for getting on people's nerves. Just like your master." A burst of killing intent. Crash-!! "……!" I predicted its path with my inner eye and dodged, but its speed was faster than before. ‘And the size—.’ Kwaaaaah--!!! "Ugh!" The wind that I couldn't fully evade wrapped around my body. Suspended in mid-air, I couldn't regain my footing. In that frozen moment after taking the hit. Slash-. Cheolhyeol Buseon had grabbed something with his lone arm. A fan. The fan unfurled lightly. The moment I laid eyes on it— Whoosh. Crash-!! "Argh!!" The wind tore through my body. The speed was such that my body was shredded before I could even register it. The intense pain brought a groan to my lips. Staggering, my body fell, landing heavily on the ground. "Cough… gasp…" Blood flowed across every inch of me. While it would regenerate soon enough, the pain lingered. "Whelp." I heard a voice from above. Cheolhyeol Buseon had approached, standing before me. "If a few taunts are all you can muster, it's disappointing. Show a little more. Prove that your master defeated me." "……." His gray eyes. Those eyes staring down at me were unbearable. Just like with Namgung Jin, those eyes were a problem. Something about them was deeply unsettling. "Hoo…" I let out a sigh. "At this rate—." "Tam. Devour." Crash-!! "……Huh?" From the shadow of the arm I rested on the ground, Tam shot out and pierced Cheolhyeol Buseon's abdomen. Whooosh-!! The wind surged. Tam was thrust out, having pierced through his abdomen. Cheolhyeol Buseon recoiled, clutching his stomach with an expression of agony. "What... did you do?" His confusion was evident. Watching him, I thought to myself. 'It worked.' I had worried since he deflected the King of Darkness's powers before. Fortunately, Tam was effective. The problem was— 'He's being repelled.' Whatever was in Cheolhyeol Buseon's wind pushed even my Tam back. The good news was— 'It still inflicted damage.' His pierced abdomen. With Cheolhyeol Buseon's gaze on it, it was certain. "Why? Does it surprise you that it won't regenerate?" "……You." "The so-called greatest in the world shouldn't wear such an expression." I got back to my feet. Fwoosh-!! "If you're shocked already, how will you handle the second round?" I surrounded myself with white flames instead of blue. The assessment was clear. "……." Noticing something unusual in my white flames, Cheolhyeol Buseon’s expression twisted. "You're a curious one, shrouded in flames imbued with divinity." "……." The mention of divinity. His remark triggered a memory. ‘Right, the old man knew something.’ He had claimed to see something in me. Whether it was a sense of the master's power or something else wasn't clear, but he wasn't entirely ignorant. Of course— ‘Someone of his stature surely harbors numerous secrets.' Cursed old snakes. Fwoooosh. I intensified the white flames in one hand, preparing to utilize Tam, stirring the power of Pama. Tight-!! Poised to leap, fully gathering my strength when— Thud. My vision was suddenly shrouded in darkness. “What?” When sight returned after that brief moment of darkness. “……Young Master Baek?” The Poison Phoenix was looking at me with wide-eyed surprise. As I quickly shifted my gaze. The King of Darkness was wheezing in exhaustion at the end of the corridor. * * * "……Well, this is troublesome." Cheolhyeol Buseon, having lost sight of his opponent, reacted in a daze. "I forgot." Distracted by the whelp, he momentarily forgot that the others were hidden. As a result, he lost them right in front of him. "This is problematic." To think he stumbled upon them only to lose them like this. Moreover— A thrill. "……." Cheolhyeol Buseon looked at his abdomen with fierce eyes. "That power." The bizarre power that struck him—that might be— ‘It might just be what that ominous fellow mentioned.’ The uncomfortable, peculiar presence he’d encountered once. It could be what that individual referenced. Reflecting on it, Cheolhyeol Buseon smacked his lips. "I should investigate further before speaking." If he mentioned it to the Sword Queen, the tedious woman would undoubtedly step in lightly. This was something he preferred to explore and deal with more leisurely himself. "…I'll be seeing you soon." As long as they held the claw, it wouldn’t take long. Whooooooosh--!!! Cheolhyeol Buseon, smiling, lifted himself with the breeze. His purpose was to reclaim the claw. And those people would be there too.