382 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Title: The Peerless Martial Artist's Childhood Friend - Chapter 383: Northern Rabbit - Web Novel Archive Crackle... The area was filled with the sound of something crumbling, and the air was thick with the smell of burning. The world was charred black. Whoosh! Flames roared to life. Flames of opposing colors clashed repeatedly as if vying for dominance. The intensity and ferocity within both flames were apparent. With each collision, the surroundings trembled violently. Boom! Boom, boom! The surging energy made the air increasingly hot. For an ordinary person, merely being nearby would be fatal, not to mention the impossibility of breathing. The sky was a strange mixture of red and black hues, yet, like oil and water, they remained separate from each other. Roar! The enormous blaze seemed to let out a cry. Gradually, the flames took the form of a dragon. Then, they crashed down onto the ground. Crack! The moment the flame struck the ground, the earth began to fracture and crumble. The flying debris was half-melted. It was overwhelmingly hot. All around, everything was burning a bright red. The violently distorted flames consumed all the black flames scattered around, and then finally, they returned to their caster. Sizzle! Even after the flames returned to their master, the scorched and molten world remained unchanged. "...Phew..." I looked at my opponent with an exhausted gaze. The black flames, once the same as mine but now corrupted and taking on a sinister hue, were undoubtedly fiercer and more intense than the flames I wielded in the past. Yet, they were effortlessly devoured by the blazing red flames before me. I maintained a stoic expression as I faced my adversary. He looked as fierce as ever. A man with a stern expression. His appearance was both similar and dissimilar to mine. Precisely speaking... it would be more accurate to say that I resembled him. Though not much time seemed to have passed. His face showed no signs of aging. The man's piercing red eyes fixed on me. "It's been a while." I flinched involuntarily at his words. That was my father's first sentence to me after years of absence. "Yes." "I expected her to return... But you exceeded my expectations, sending you instead." The person my father spoke of was the Heavenly Demon (Cheonma). After the last battle, the Heavenly Demon was focusing on recovery due to the severity of its aftermath. Reflecting on that, I scrutinized my father. The wound inflicted on the Heavenly Demon was from my father. To have hurt a body that was untouchable by anyone else was no small feat. Yet, my father appeared unharmed. Outwardly, at least. I knew, however, that internally he wasn't unscathed. "I know you're struggling." Upon my words, my father's eyebrows twitched. It was evident just by looking. Father's body was being consumed by demonic energy—not just any demonic energy, but that of the Heavenly Demon. Yet, even in such a state, simply walking and breathing would be arduous. His endurance was solely due to sheer mental fortitude. Even in that condition, my flames couldn't penetrate him, signifying just how powerful my father truly was. "Third." My expression soured slightly at his call. "Isn't it about time to stop using that title?" "Do you find it displeasing?" "Do you still see me as your child?" My father made a peculiar expression at my question. "Were you not?" I clenched my eyes shut at the question of what was mistaken. "Are you aware that I killed Hong Hwagwanggeum?" Hong Hwagwanggeum was the epithet for my deceased stepmother. Upon hearing this, my father's eyelids trembled ever so slightly. "Moreover, I came here to kill you." "..." "Even in this situation, am I still your child?" Despite my words, my father maintained his expressionless demeanor. He was undoubtedly aware of my involvement in Hong Hwagwanggeum's death. And yet. He wasn't even angry? "To begin with, I wonder if you ever truly considered me your child." If he had thought of me as his child, he might have been angrier seeing me like this. He might have scolded me, asking how I could have done such a thing. He might have tried to bring me back, urging me to return. But he did none of those things. Even when I fell into the ways of a demon. Even now, facing each other... My father did nothing. It would have been better if he had shown some anger. Maybe it was because I burned with my flames. I felt a scorching heat welling inside me. "Why did you save me that day?" I asked my father. When I fell into demonhood and my name began to spread through the central plains. My father came to find me. At that moment. I felt I would die. I believed my father would not spare a son who had become a demon. I thought I would burn to death right there. But he merely looked at me and turned his back, leaving. "Why on earth did you do that? After pondering for a long time, I realized. Maybe you actually thought it was for the best." "..." "You might have been pleased because the son you didn't want for the position of successor vanished on his own." My words, spoken in resignation, were quietly received by my father. "So even now... You don't show anger towards me." "Did you wish for my anger?" "I'm not sure. But if you had, maybe it would have been better." There was a time when I wished the world would regard me with indifference. That was what I thought back then. But perhaps, conversely, I might have wanted someone to show interest more than anything. Though it's too late for that now. "I see." My father nodded at my words. Even that action felt suffocating. With a weary expression, I asked him. "What was I to you...?" What was I to my father? Was I just a troublesome fool? Or perhaps the unwanted child of a concubine? Was I merely a disgrace to the Gu family? With the tension dissipated, my mind was in turmoil. In response to my question, my father didn't offer a single answer. Did he think it wasn't worth a reply? Well, that was always how he was. As I looked at him, a slight laugh escaped me, and— Whoosh. I enveloped my body once more in the dark flames. "No more words are needed, I assume." ... Watching me, my father also cloaked himself in flames. The heat emanating from his body surged skyward, and my own body began to feel pressure. It was the effect of the Red Heaven technique. Refusing to be outdone, I activated the Black Heaven, gradually drawing power from within. Dark energy swirled around my fingertips, and I condensed it to form fiery spheres. Not just one. I created countless fiery spheres in my palms and above me, launching them towards my father. It was power enough to lay waste to the area, yet, just before reaching him, the spheres vanished as if they had never existed. ... Despite the vanish of power, not even a wisp of wind or a single sound remained. Seeing this, I grimaced, grinding my teeth and leaping forward. I focused on my father's hand. That held the key. "So that is..." The secret technique of the Gu family, usable only when reaching the pinnacle of Nine Flare Mastery. The very force that wounded the Heavenly Demon, embodying all of the Gu family's flames. As long as that power existed, I knew I couldn't defeat him. No, even without it, I would never have been able to defeat my father. I was all too aware of this. Nevertheless, I came to the Gu family alone. To finish what the Heavenly Demon couldn't? As a demon, perhaps that would be my excuse. But it was different. I didn’t come to kill my father. I came to die by his hand. Whoosh! The flames poured forth, carrying pent-up emotions, making them seem darker than usual. Was it an illusion? Probably just that. The massive flames lashed out endlessly, yet couldn’t touch my father. I bit down until my teeth threatened to break. Roar! Flames surged from my father's feet to block my path, but I forced my way through. It was scorching. Even for a body trained in fire arts, my father's flames were exceptionally hot. My garment edges charred. Flames pierced through my protective aura, searing my skin. I felt as if I would lose consciousness from the pain, but I refused to stop. Seeing me charge recklessly, my father’s eyes shimmered briefly. He gathered flames at his fingertips. I concentrated all my energy into a single token. This wasn’t like the refined arts; it was simply raw emotion condensed. I will die here. I couldn't go any further. Even if one becomes numb to slaughter, the mind is not infinite, and a life dedicated to others was insufficient reason to endure. The purpose had long decayed and begun to vanish. What do I live for? Once, I seemed to know. But now, I couldn't recall. Exhausted, I simply wanted it all to end. Could this death serve as atonement for someone? "No." A sense of self-deprecation sprouted from the childish hope. This wasn’t atonement; it was a means to pacify my own selfishness. Yet, whatever the case now, it didn't matter anymore. With that thought, I took a step forward. The red flames grew stronger the closer they got to my father. It seemed he sincerely intended to burn me. It’s what I hoped for, though a bitter emotion crept up inside. This isn’t the relationship I wanted. A life ending at the hands of the father I feared and resented so deeply. To meet such a pathetic end, even until the last. Such thoughts crossed my mind, making me laugh at the irony. A fitting end for a life so aptly managed. Snap. Whoosh! Flames in the shape of a dragon and tiger wrapped around me. Meant to bind my steps? I exerted strength to break free. The scattering flames blinded my sight, but I cleared them away. And there he was, right before me. Once, I too would have been enveloped in those crimson flames. With his red eyes and hair, he looked at me. What expression was that? I couldn’t discern it. My father’s hand moved. A hand activated with the Gu family’s secret technique. Once that touched me, it would all be over. I reached out. If I died, what expression would my father wear? Would he remain as expressionless as now? That seemed likely. I couldn’t picture any other expression. In that moment, my father’s hand drew near. A large, rough hand. It should have been lightning-fast, yet somehow it felt slow. Was I having a near-death experience? I hoped not. The memories that would surface were sordid and disgraceful. Or miserable memories, at best. I just wanted to close my eyes right now. Before my hand could reach it, his hand made contact. Is this the end? Flash. -…! Suddenly, the flames surrounding my father dissipated. The disappearance of the flames indicated he had withdrawn his strength, and the protective aura encasing his body vanished as well. There was no time to comprehend what had happened. Hastily, I attempted to retract my gathered strength. But my father had already seized my hand, pulling it toward him. Thud! My fist collided with his chest, a shockwave pulsing outwards. An intense wind erupted and scattered around us. I strained to make sense of the situation unfolding before me. “What... What in the world is...?” I lifted my creaking head to look up. Confirming my father's face, I saw— -…! Blood was trickling down from the corner of his mouth. He had tried to withdraw his force urgently before the attack connected, but hadn’t managed to completely retract it. The force struck his unguarded body directly. It was a situation that would normally result in instant death. Yet, inexplicably, he remained standing firmly on both feet, not even slightly pushed back. “What is the meaning of this…!” Was it because I hadn't fully processed it? No words came out. Then. I felt something rest on the top of my head. It was my father’s hand.