1300 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"Guh!" A painful grunt echoes as the apostle trembles. "Ptooey." I spat shortly as I looked at the defeated apostle. Spit-mixed blood splattered on the ground. My whole body tingles. Every bone seems to resonate. Fighting without a bet really doesn’t suit me. 'Though, it feels like my skills are improving faster this way.' At this point of transcendence, one might wonder what more could be gained, but the physical exercise is a unique kind of stimulation. This isn't so bad. 'I should let that person know later.' When I meet the master, I'll bring it up. I nodded and eased the grip from my clenching hand. "Ugh...ugh..." The apostle collapses and screams. Watching him quietly, I murmured. "Tam." Suddenly, a force bursts out from my shadow, swallowing the apostle whole. The empty vessel within begins to fill up once again. Like feeding bits into an ongoing hunger, there was a compelling weight in the calm. "Uuu... hngh... you... despicable..." A glare filled with resentment fixes on me. "How could you... an apostle..." "It's a pity you didn’t hear. If you had known, you wouldn’t have attacked." As he withers and begins to vanish... "Haha... haha..." The apostle starts laughing. Splitting why? Tilting my head, I asked. "Why are you laughing? What's so funny?" "Don't... celebrate victory yet..." "What nonsense." Why would I be happy over beating these pests? I just grinned briefly, being slightly satisfied with a fuller stomach. "The apostle watching you... do you think we are the last?" "......" "By now... your companions too... all of them..." "Oh, that." I chuckled. As soon as I heard that, I tore into his neck. Crack! With a short sound, he dies instantly. The other one had perished long before that. As the body hits the ground and vanishes in an instant, I ponder over his words. 'By now, all your companions too...' There are more apostles. They target my companions who journeyed with me. That could be dangerous. Normally, upon hearing such an ominous warning, one would rush out. "Don’t worry." But I had already laid the groundwork. * * * "......" Returning to where my companions were, the first thing that hit me was the smell. The scent of burnt air cutting through my nose. This wasn’t the familiar burnt smell from the Flame Wheel art’s synchronized burst, but— Sizzle. The stench of scorched skin from lightning's searing touch. The scene was littered with the bodies of fallen apostles and residual lightning energy scattered around. Walking over, I observed. "You did a proper job." Amidst the dispersed shockwaves, at the heart where a dead apostle lay, someone stood, dumbfounded. It wasn't Namgung Bi-ah assuming the appearance of Young Lady Hyun, showing a face of astonishment. "See? I told you, you could do it." It was Namgung Jin. "......This is..." In his hand, a streak of lightning. Namgung Jin, grasping it with dedication, looked at me. "So, how is it? Worth it?" Though he mixed formal and informal speech, perhaps it was better to just speak informally. After all, he wasn’t the Sword King I knew. Before I left, I had spoken to Namgung Jin. I told him not to be afraid if something happened. Even if vague about memories from the apostle's period, to think of wielding what’s within. 'The Thunder Fang wasn’t retrieved.' The half of the Thunder Fang that Namgung Bi-ah passed to Namgung Jin was still with him. And I believed this Thunder Fang would still assist Namgung Jin. 'It didn’t seem to wish for anyone's death.' Whether it's Namgung Jin or Namgung Bi-ah, the Thunder Fang didn't desire their demise. Though the old man within the Thunder Fang seemed displeased with Namgung Jin. 'Nonetheless, he managed to wield the Thunder Fang.' I was sure he would come to aid again. Such were my thoughts. "Thunder Fang..." Namgung Jin quietly called the name of his sword. "This is..." Next to the surprised Namgung Jin, I glanced at Young Lady Hyun sleeping. She's still asleep, huh. ...doesn’t wake in all this? 'Amazing how someone can sleep through this chaos.' Fascinating. How is that even possible? Crackle-!! "Ugh!" Lightning energy unleashed from Namgung Jin's grasping hand. Startled, Namgung Jin let out a groan. The moment the Thunder Fang dissipated, the energy once filling him vanished. ‘…Indeed.’ Upon the Thunder Fang's release, Namgung Jin returned to his original state. I recalled Namgung Jin’s aura when he was moments ago engulfed by the Thunder Fang's power. 'It feels similar to the master’s aura.' If Namgung Bi-ah’s lightning descent was akin to becoming one with its owner, so was the devotion of Namgung Jin's Thunder Fang. Of course, it was judged to be a much weaker power. ‘Still, the fact that it resembles the master’s power…’ It created a connection with the magical entity. The owner’s aura emerged from that unity. Strange as it seemed. I believed in the Thunder Fang aiding Namgung Jin. Even if not this, I trusted Namgung Bi-ah too. In a sense, wagering that Namgung Bi-ah, asleep, might awaken wasn’t a gamble on life or death. Of course. 'The stakes weren’t mortal.' I had already decided the course. I moved not because I wasn't feeling the lightning energy rising. ‘…Magical entities are creations of dragons.’ What dragons left as they crossed over were such entities, or so it was said. If warriors can coalesce with such entities to manifest their owner’s strength— ‘It can't be that simple.’ From what I've seen, yes. But surely there's more depth. Then— "Umm..." Young Lady Hyun suddenly stirred, yawning away the sleep as she rubbed her eyes and abruptly plugged her nose. "Ugh… what’s that smell?" Faced with the acrid odor of burnt skin by lightning, she grimaced. "What? Did something happen?" "..." "…" Not just me, but also Tang Cheongi and Namgung Jin looked at Young Lady Hyun with peculiar expressions. "A rare piece of work, aren't you..." "Huh?" Without meaning to speak aloud, the words slipped. Young Lady Hyun cocked her head to the side, curious about my remark. “It’s nothing...” Explaining would have been too much trouble. * * * The following day, we resumed our journey toward our destination. Having absorbed two apostles, my energy was replenished, making it a bit easier than last time. "An apostle attacked us?" Young Lady Hyun frowned as she heard about yesterday's events belatedly. "...And why didn’t you wake me up during all that?" "......" She spoke as if it were unjust, making me pinch the bridge of my nose. "Isn't it strange you didn’t wake up in that situation...?" "I'm naturally a heavy sleeper." "......If you sleep that heavily, it's as if you can't hear at all." "Hehe." She laughed awkwardly. Laugh...? "......" I glanced back. Namgung Jin was still staring at his hand as if the sensation of drawing out the Thunder Fang continued to bother him. Trying to recall the sensation of pulling out the Thunder Fang, perhaps. 'It seems it was beneficial.' Bringing him along seemed wise. It felt like I made a good choice. 'Because I sensed it when reverting him to human.' The sensation felt when reverting an apostle to a human. Inside Namgung Jin's body, something was sensed. That alone wasn't undone. So I speculated— ‘The Thunder Fang has a will.’ I believed the Thunder Fang possessed a will. It seemed that most magical objects inherently had a will. ‘Such was the case with the Treasures.’ The enchanted objects I'd encountered predominantly held that attribute. ‘Well.’ I observed Namgung Jin’s aura before glancing at Tang Cheongi beside him. ‘His expression is grim.’ Even as we set out, Tang Cheongi hadn’t uttered a word. His eyes remained burdened by fatigue and a bleak expression lingered. Surely, thoughts solely of the venomous wasp filled his mind. "......" I turned my head away from him, picking up our pace a little. * * * We walked for what felt like another five days. During that time, there were no more apostle attacks, merely dealing with a few magical beasts. There wasn’t anything particularly hazardous. Having gathered energy, unnecessary risks were no longer a concern. ‘No apostles have attacked.’ Since the attack on the third day, apostles had ceased to appear. Whether the Sword Queen had blocked them or there was another intent, it was uncertain. ‘Distance—’ The distance hinted by the smell of combustion had lessened considerably. While close to the main location, there was quite a gap still present. ‘What could it be?’ The distance is diminishing. We reached here much faster than anticipated. I thought it was going to be much further away, yet here we are. ‘Hmmm...’ Tension rose within me. The intensifying synergy of the burnt scent from the Flame Wheel art signaled my father’s proximity. ‘I need to regulate.’ I set up a ki-shield. Even while moving, this was to minimize our presence. Despite this, resonance could still be felt. "Namgung Jin." "......!" At my words, Namgung Jin reacted. "Can you manage?" "......That depends." "If you can’t, then stay back." Using the Thunder Fang would be ideal, but if not, he needed to stay clear. ‘Combat should be avoided if possible.’ That aside, this was not about engaging in a fight. The primary goal was reconnaissance... ‘...Something’s off.’ It felt peculiar. With each step closer, a sense of strangeness grew. My father’s aura was intensifying but— ‘...it’s excessively dense.’ Realizing this— "......!" Thoughts rapidly crossed my mind, and my eyes widened. I immediately dispelled the ki-shield. “Oh, damn it.” Cursing under my breath, I dashed forward. “What!? Where are you going—!” My companions called out bewildered as I quickly darted ahead, their voices fading behind me. Upon reaching the front of the aura— “...This is vile.” I had to grimace at the sight in front of me. A massive, fiery gray blaze burning fiercely. "We've been had." It hit me like a crashing wave.