1291 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

RUMBLE---!!! A mountain collapses. "What?" The rough and thick ceiling crumbled down with a roar. Massive rocks rushed towards the ground. Amidst the chaos, my gaze stayed fixed on the sky above. BOOM-!! CRACKLE-!!! Lightning relentlessly rained down. Blinding flashes of light forced my eyes shut, a brilliant blue light. The blue hue of thunder, reminiscent of the sky, struck repeatedly. BAM-! KRAKOW-!!! The deafening sound resonated, shaking my entire body. SCREEEECH--!!! The monsters shrieked in terror, swept away by the surging energy. It all happened in an instant. "Ah. What the..." Cheolhyun Buseon grimaced amidst the barrage of lightning. "A needless interference." He looked towards the sky as he spoke. Following his gaze, my eyes slowly rose. "They weren't there when I was chasing them. Where did they come from?" At the end of the lightning strike, a figure stood above the crimson sky. Upon realizing this, my body froze. CRACKLE. A woman with white hair and blue eyes, enveloped in a shroud of lightning. "Ah." My eyes widened at the sight of her. I had already recognized the lightning, but seeing her face made my heart plummet. "……You." About to question why she was here— WHOOSH-! The woman disappeared from the sky. THUD. Something landed gently in front of me. The figure, who had been in the sky moments ago, descended gracefully. "……Hello……." She greeted me in her distinctive manner. Namgung Bi-ah. It was her. "How are you...?" Why are you here? That was my only thought. Why was Namgung Bi-ah here? "It's not Young Lady Hyun." Just one look, and I knew. It was undoubtedly Namgung Bi-ah. I couldn't have mistaken this. "What are you doing?" As I fumbled for words in confusion— - Oh my…… This is unexpected. The Sword Queen's voice echoed. SHRAPSH--!!! Gasp……! With a suppressed groan…… Muted sounds filled the air as the energy of the heretic and the monsters surged upwards like a gray aura. It coalesced into a single point and then reformed back into the Sword Queen. "We have a distinguished guest." The Sword Queen smiled, looking at Namgung Bi-ah. "I searched everywhere but couldn't find you, yet now you've shown yourself directly." "……." Namgung Bi-ah looked at the Sword Queen at her words. ‘……The Sword Queen was looking for Namgung Bi-ah?’ Why? Perplexed, I watched. "Lucky day today, it seems." Hummeeeeee. Gray energy gathered in the Sword Queen's hand, forming a sword. Seeing this, I squinted. ‘……The intimidation.’ As soon as she wielded the sword, an overwhelming pressure emanated from the Sword Queen. It wasn't as noticeable before, but now it's different. "We must acquire it. Buseon." "Tsk……." Cheolhyun Buseon clicked his tongue regretfully at me. Then he started expanding his energy throughout his body. "I don't like being interrupted... but there's no helping it." WHOOOOOSH-! The wind roared fiercely. "I have no choice but to crush it." RUMBLE-!!! "……." The wind plummeted downward. Seeing this, Namgung Bi-ah was about to move, but— "Old man." I moved first, pulling Namgung Bi-ah by the shoulder, releasing my power. "Who do you think you’re meddling with?" BOOOOM--!!!! I disregarded controlling the energy of my heart. I unleashed everything, freeing all my power across my body. My vision blurred. White flames engulfed me. The electrifying force surged through my meridians, expanding. The white flames were soon decorated with a violet hue, adding to the spectacle. "……What is……?" Cheolhyun Buseon's eyes widened. "……This." The Sword Queen frowned. Amidst the fierce storm of energy, I slowly shifted my stance. Sway. I felt the sensation of my tail. I swept my hair back. My black hair turned white. My body felt weightless. Even though my feet touched the ground, I felt as if I were floating. "……." I checked my heart. All the energy meticulously stored inside had vanished. I didn't mind. ‘It works.’ The important thing was that I could use it now. "……Ha. What in the world is that?" "Shut your mouth." "What?" I cut off Cheolhyun Buseon's words. In the now silent situation, I looked up at him. "Such a lowly being dares look down on me." "……What did you say?" Before Cheolhyun Buseon could react— BAM. My body reached him. "……!" As he recoiled in surprise and tried to summon the wind, my hand clamped around Cheolhyun Buseon's neck. "Trying to kill." "Gah!" I slammed him into the ground. BAM-BAM-BAM--!!! The impact fractured the surroundings, and debris erupted everywhere. "Ugh!" Cheolhyun Buseon coughed up blood. His protective aura shattered into bits. Grabbing the disoriented Cheolhyun Buseon, I hurled him into the wall once more. THUD-!!! As he slammed against the wall. FWOOSH--!!! White flames coalesced in my hand. Though it resembled an explosion, describing it as such would be inaccurate. It was a power that transcended martial arts. Belonging to— ‘Rank.’ A rank that a master could wield. That was all there was to describe it. WHIRL-!! A large vibration accompanied as the white orb was launched at Cheolhyun Buseon. As it enveloped and was about to explode— "……This is troublesome." The Sword Queen appeared. SLASH-! With her gray sword, she cleaved the orb. BOOM-BOOM-!!! The orb exploded on both sides. The space quaked as if the cave might collapse yet somehow, it didn't crumble entirely. "This is something I've never heard of." The Sword Queen spoke softly to me. "Even with anomalies, I didn't expect you'd wield such power. Who exactly are you?" My identity? "What would you do knowing?" I said, tilting my head. Master Form. This was the first time I'd used it since encountering Taecheon. It came after expending all my energy. ‘This feeling.’ The sensation of the world assisting me. The energy flowed directly into my very pores and skin, imbuing me with a bizarre sensation that made it seem like I could accomplish anything. It felt just like before. No. 'It's not exactly the same.' The sensation of energy flowing in felt different. Back then, it was as if I directly wielded the energy infused within the air. 'Now, it's just circulating inside my body.' It revolved within my flesh, this sensation. It wasn't particularly pleasant. It meant my energy was limited. However. 'Even so.' Despite that, it felt like I could do anything. That's what it seemed like. "……Hmm." The Sword Queen gazed at me, letting out a small hum. "What shall we do? Buseon... will you continue like this?" Rumble. Cheolhyun Buseon emerged, moving the rocks from the side of the wall. "Ugh..." He spat out a bit of blood as he walked out, his appearance rough and worn. It was hard to believe him to be a warrior skilled with weapons in such a state. "……This is quite nice." He looked battered, yet his face bore a wild grin. "Who would have thought you were hiding something so impressive." Cheolhyun Buseon steadied his breath as he approached. The Sword Queen looked at him and asked, "Will you keep up this pride?" "I'd like to if I could." Crunch. Cheolhyun Buseon adjusted his broken arm as he spoke. "But at my age, I'm afraid I don't have the pride left to uphold such pretenses." "A wise choice." The Sword Queen gently swung her sword at the old man's words. Gray energy flowed like petals from the tip of her sword. It permeated Cheolhyun Buseon's body. And then, it happened. THUD-!!! Cheolhyun Buseon's body trembled as energy surged out. It was the same as before. It seemed the Sword Queen's energy had something that strengthened her target. Cheolhyun Buseon, now exuding a different presence, spoke to me. "Don't think it too unfair." Flutter. With a casual wave of his fan, a storm brewed. "When humans face monsters, sometimes it's the only option." "……Ha." At those words, I laughed. "Stop spewing nonsense, old man. Take a look at yourself before you speak." Sway. My three tails moved in sequence. "Who are you calling a monster?" Could any human truly exist here? As far as I could see, there was none. WHIRR. White flames flickered into being again in my hand. Flames interwoven with a purplish hue gathered. I intended to form a holy spear. I would shoot it. Cheolhyun Buseon also unleashed energy with his fan. Just as I was about to unleash all my power— Flick. "What?" "……Hmm?" The energy enveloping my body dissipated. In an instant, I returned to my original state. My balance faltered, and I urgently steadied myself with my left leg. "……Insane." My mind was blurred. There wasn't a drop of energy left in me. How long had I maintained the mastered form? It must have been no more than a fleeting moment. 'Can't even withstand that?' It seemed the lack of nature's assistance was significant. I grit my teeth. I couldn't lose consciousness like this. I tried desperately to hold on. Thud. A gentle touch supported me. "……It's alright……." A calm voice filled with concern. Namgung Bi-ah's words reached my ears. "……You can rest……." Zap. A jolt brushed the back of my neck. With that sensation, my eyes closed involuntarily. Just as I was slipping into unconsciousness— "I'll protect you." With Namgung Bi-ah's final words. CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE-!!! The world was enveloped in light.