Childhood Friend of the Zenith-Chapter 671: My Name Is... (5)

I soared through the night sky.

The wind brushed against my cheeks as the crescent moon hung brilliantly above.

It was an unusually beautiful night. Of all times, why now?

I felt the lingering heat of summer as I flew, the scenery below changing countless times. It wasn’t a short distance I had traveled.

Grip.

I tightened my hold. The one being dragged along stirred, her head tilting slightly.

Her black hair fluttered in the wind, and her expression twisted slightly from the pressure.

But—

‘She’s not even fazed, is she?’

Despite being dragged by the neck, she showed no signs of discomfort. How could she be so unaffected when I was applying this much force?

My frustration, mixed with anger, rose at the thought.

Cheonma’s gaze flickered around, scanning her surroundings. Was she trying to figure out how far we had come?

Just as I thought that—

I felt her touch my wrist.

Cheonma’s pale hand gripped my arm tightly.

And then—

Squeeze.

“...!”

She began to push back against my strength.

I hadn’t been exerting my full power, but even accounting for that, her grip was monstrous.

I frowned.

As expected, she’s still Cheonma.

‘This is better, though.’

It made sense.

If anything, this made my hesitation easier to overcome.

Thinking that—

Vrrrm.

I condensed heat behind me and then unleashed it in an explosive burst.

Boom!

The Qi-infused explosion accelerated us downward, slamming toward the ground at an incredible speed.

Fwoooosh—! BOOM!

The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward as an enormous burst of flames erupted on impact.

The forest in the area was instantly devastated.

Lush trees were uprooted, and the vibrant meadows turned into a barren wasteland.

Thick clouds of dust rose from the fiery aftermath.

Ssshhh.

The dust was so dense it obscured everything around me, but my eyes could pierce through it now.

My gaze scanned the surroundings sharply—but there was no need.

My opponent hadn’t moved an inch.

I swept the dust away with my Qi, clearing my view.

Fwoosh.

As the dust settled, Cheonma stood at the center of the devastation, tilting her head as she massaged her neck.

I frowned as I looked at her and asked coldly, “Why did you follow me?”

“...?”

Cheonma’s expression showed confusion at my question.

“You brought me here,” she replied matter-of-factly.

Her tone and demeanor screamed of defiance, as if to say, What’s your problem?

It was technically true, but I knew better.

“You could’ve avoided it,” I said firmly.

Cheonma could’ve dodged my attack.

Her power, as shown when she defended Gu Heebi, made that evident.

She had let herself be caught on purpose.

“Why didn’t you resist?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Why did you let yourself be captured so easily?”

Cheonma replied simply, “If I stayed there, Sister would’ve gotten hurt.”

“...”

“Here, it’s fine,” she added casually.

Her words made my blood boil.

“What nonsense,” I muttered, barely containing my anger.

How absurd could this situation get?

For Cheonma to say something like that—it was infuriating.

Her short response alone was enough to turn my stomach.

But—

“...Fine,” I said, calming myself abruptly.

It didn’t matter.

There was no point in wasting time and energy on anger. I reminded myself of why I had come here.

Fwoosh.

Flames gathered in my palm, forming a concentrated blue fire.

In a moment, the condensed flame crystal was ready, and I infused it with killing intent as I fixed my gaze on Cheonma.

I would kill her here.

End her, and with her, this karmic burden I carried from my regression.

As I prepared myself, Cheonma suddenly spoke.

“Do you hate me?”

It was an obvious question.

“Yes,” I said coldly.

Hate wasn’t strong enough. I wanted to kill her.

Her mere existence infuriated me.

“Why?” she asked, as if she truly didn’t understand.

“I haven’t done anything to you,” she added, her tone almost innocent.

She hadn’t.

Not in this life, anyway.

“Yes, you haven’t,” I admitted.

In this life, our encounters had been limited. She hadn’t initiated anything against me.

But—

“You just haven’t done anything yet,” I said.

“I never will,” she replied firmly.

“...”

I didn’t respond to her words.

Maybe she wouldn’t.

This life was full of unexpected changes. People had grown and changed in ways I hadn’t predicted.

But—

‘It’s all uncertain.’

That was the limit.

I couldn’t trust her words, not after everything I’d experienced because of her.

Fwoosh.

The condensed flame crystal in my hand began to shift.

I formed the Holy Spear.

The process was faster than before, and in mere moments, the flame-forged spear was complete.

Gripping it tightly, I stepped forward and twisted my body.

With the recoil as my ally, I hurled the spear with all my might.

Whoooosh—!

The blazing spear tore through the air, its intense heat carving a path toward Cheonma.

“...!”

Her eyes widened, and she moved just in time to dodge the spear.

The Holy Spear missed its mark and flew into the forest beyond.

Moments later—

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted in the distance, sending a cloud of smoke and the stench of charred wood wafting through the air.

I narrowed ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) my eyes as I observed the aftermath.

The spear had missed.

But it didn’t matter.

‘I wasn’t aiming to hit her.’

As Cheonma briefly faltered, I took a half-step forward.

A small movement, but with my condensed Qi, it turned into something akin to a teleportation technique.

The world shifted around me as I appeared right in front of her.

There wasn’t enough time to form another spear.

Instead, I condensed the flame crystal into a smaller form and thrust my hand toward her.

Cheonma frowned as my attack approached.

Last time, she had crushed the flame crystal with her bare hand. Would she do the same again?

As the blow neared, I wondered how she would react.

Hiss—!

Suddenly, a black aura began to coalesce around her body.

The Qi formed into a thin, translucent barrier in an instant.

My flame crystal collided with the barrier.

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Boom!

The blue flame erupted with scorching intensity.

Though it exploded right in front of her, my expression soured.

I could tell immediately.

‘It didn’t reach her.’

I retreated to gain distance, my suspicions confirmed.

Shhh.

The heat dissipated, revealing Cheonma standing unscathed within her black barrier.

The translucent shield had absorbed the impact entirely.

“Damn it,” I muttered, clicking my tongue.

‘So she still has that.’

That barrier—it was one of Cheonma’s defining powers in my previous life.

Her overwhelming physical strength alone made her nearly unbeatable, but this shield elevated her to the level of an untouchable being.

‘The Absolute Qi Shield.’

The name surfaced in my mind, and I ground my teeth.

Unlike ordinary martial artists who used protective Qi to shield their bodies, Cheonma’s shield was far beyond that.

It didn’t just protect her—it nullified any martial arts technique aimed at her.

No matter how powerful the skill or secret art, in the face of Cheonma’s shield, it was meaningless.

Even the Three Supremes had been rendered helpless before her.

‘How did Father manage to wound her back then?’

The thought crossed my mind, fleeting and unanswered.

Perhaps it had been a miracle.

Martial artists couldn’t hope to defeat Cheonma.

Yet it was martial artists who fought to protect the world from her bloodshed.

It seemed like an unwinnable battle, but—

‘We had the Divine Sword.’

The only person capable of bypassing the Absolute Qi Shield.

The Divine Sword, the bane of Cheonma, had succeeded in killing her in my previous life.

But that also meant—

‘Without the Divine Sword, the shield is impenetrable.’

It was the harsh reality I had faced before, the reason so many had sacrificed themselves to protect the Divine Sword.

Crunch.

I clenched my teeth hard enough to hurt.

‘How am I supposed to break through that?’

The Absolute Qi Shield rendered all efforts meaningless.

‘I hoped it wasn’t complete yet, but...’

It seemed my hope had been misplaced. Cheonma had already perfected her defense.

What Should I Do?

How do I deal with this?

The question churned violently in my mind until—

“Stop it,” Cheonma said softly.

“...I don’t want to fight,” she continued, her expression tinged with a strange sadness.

There was an odd sincerity in her words, faintly touching something in me.

But—

“Bullshit,” I spat.

That flicker of emotion was immediately burned away.

“You don’t get to say that.”

She didn’t want to fight?

If anyone in this world didn’t have the right to utter those words, it was her.

And even if she did—

“You should’ve said it long ago.”

Not now, not in this life, but far earlier—so early that even then, it would have been too late.

Fwoosh.

I engulfed myself in flames, the azure hue tinged with a sinister edge. My rage had tainted the purity of the flame with demonic Qi.

I still didn’t know how to break through. Maybe I never would.

But even so—

It was time to stop turning back.

Boom!

I launched myself forward, the ground cracking beneath my feet.

Twisting my torso, I drove all my strength into my legs.

My kick flew toward Cheonma, the flames at its tip compressed to a single point.

Bang!

The moment it touched her Qi shield, the flames were extinguished, and the Qi I had gathered in my leg dissipated completely.

My strength vanished.

In that brief moment, the kick lost its momentum.

Grab.

Cheonma seized my foot and hurled me away with ease.

Whoosh!

“Ugh!”

The force sent my body flying at an incredible speed.

I couldn’t afford to create too much distance, so I quickly expelled flames to arrest my momentum.

Fwoosh! Sizzle!

I managed to slow myself down and looked ahead, preparing to charge again—

Only to see Cheonma already standing right in front of me.

“...”

Damn it.

Was she toying with me?

“...Stop,” she murmured in a pitiful voice.

The sound of her voice—so like Wi Seol-ah’s—only disgusted me more.

‘Find a way.’

In moments like this, I needed to find a way forward. I always had before, and I would again.

This time would be no different.

I opened my heart’s eye, hoping it would reveal something—anything—about her shield.

‘Damn it.’

I swore the moment I saw it.

‘There’s nothing there?’

Even through the heart’s eye, the shield showed no flow of Qi.

How could that be?

Every form of Qi had a flow, even if subtle.

If this was truly Qi, I should have been able to see something—but Cheonma’s Absolute Qi Shield revealed nothing.

‘No, it’s not strange.’

Of course, it wasn’t.

If there had been a visible flow—

‘Paejon wouldn’t have lost.’

Paejon, with his precision surpassing mine, and even the Three Supremes wouldn’t have been defeated so decisively.

It was precisely because this shield was nearly impossible to breach that they had sacrificed so much to protect the Divine Sword.

‘What a goddamned mess.’

Was there truly no way to overcome it?

No matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t even begin unless I could deal with this.

After all I had endured since my regression, to think I couldn’t even crack this one barrier—it was laughable.

‘This power doesn’t even make sense.’

A shield that nullified all martial techniques. Could it even be called Qi?

‘Wait.’

A thought struck me, stopping me cold.

‘What if... it’s not Qi?’

If the Absolute Qi Shield wasn’t Qi, then its lack of flow made sense.

If it wasn’t Qi, then—

‘It’s not energy as I know it.’

I raised my head, looking at Cheonma.

She gazed back at me with the same sorrowful expression.

“I...”

She began to say something, her lips moving slightly, but I didn’t care.

“Greed.”

I gave the command.

“Devour it.”

Crunch.

Snap!

“...!”

From my shadow, a massive maw emerged and bit into her shield.

The shield tore apart.

Cheonma’s Absolute Qi Shield, the impenetrable barrier, was ripped apart by Greed.

“What?”

Cheonma’s reaction was one of pure disbelief.

I didn’t miss my opportunity.

Fwoosh!

I thrust the condensed flame crystal into the opening.

BOOM!

The explosion erupted within the confines of the shield, flames and smoke bursting out in all directions.

The smoke cleared quickly, revealing Cheonma still standing.

But—

Drip.

Blood trickled from the corner of her lips.

She wiped it away with the back of her hand and stared at it.

“Ah...”

Her voice trembled, filled with disbelief.

“It... hurts.”

The way she stammered made it sound as if she were uttering the word for the first time.

She looked at the blood on her hand as if she couldn’t comprehend it.

‘She’s surprised by pain?’

Her reaction surprised me as much as it did her.

‘I can’t believe it.’

The shield wasn’t Qi after all.

“That thing... it’s Authority, isn’t it?”

“Authority?”

The power used by demonic beings blessed by their god.

I suddenly felt foolish for not considering it earlier.

“No wonder it didn’t make sense as martial arts...”

Because—

“It wasn’t martial arts to begin with.”

“...”

I straightened, wiping away the sweat dripping from my chin.

Sweat?

When had I started sweating?

My body wasn’t exhausted—my Qi reserves were still abundant.

And yet my body had reacted as if terrified.

How ridiculous.

“Hah...”

I exhaled deeply and looked at Cheonma, who stood bleeding before me.

Was she a dragon?

The use of Authority made her seem like one.

But—

‘There’s no inherent hostility.’

The visceral antagonism I felt toward dragons wasn’t present.

No, there was hostility, but it wasn’t primal—it came from the necessity to kill her, not her nature as a dragon.

Whatever the case—

‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’

The only thing that mattered now was that—

“I can break through.”

The barrier that only the Divine Sword could pierce was no longer impenetrable.

And so—

‘I’ll devour her.’

The seed of calamity would be consumed here and now.

Twitch.

The heat surged.

Thump.

A pulse began in my heart, spreading to my eyes.

The bright blue of my irises darkened, mixing with crimson until they glowed violet.

I could kill Cheonma.

I could take the place of the Divine Sword.

The desire burned within me.

“Greed,” I commanded.

The new possibility became desire.

Desire turned into hope.

Hope transformed into purpose.

And that purpose flared brightly as violet fire.

“Devour her.”

ROAR!

I would kill Cheonma.

That was all that mattered now.

*****************

Beneath the Crescent Moon

As the violet light painted the sky, a man turned his gaze in its direction.

It was Hanam, where the Murim Alliance lay—his intended destination.

But now—

Fwoosh.

All he could see was a raging inferno.

“...”

The man shifted his gaze to his surroundings.

To reach Hanam, he had to pass Mount Taeseong, a towering peak near Shanxi.

A mountain that should have been lush and green with the season.

Instead, it burned brightly in the night, flames engulfing its summit.

Oddly enough, despite the inferno, the villagers at the mountain’s base seemed oblivious, as if they couldn’t see the flames.

At the peak, a man stood calmly.

It was Gu Cheolwoon, the patriarch of the Gu family.

His crimson eyes fixed on the source of the fire.

Perched atop a massive rock was an old man clad in tattered rags.

The elder’s red eyes gleamed, and a massive crimson horn jutted from his forehead, glowing faintly in the dark.

Looking at the horn, Gu Cheolwoon narrowed his eyes and spoke.

“It’s been a long time. Have you been well?”

The old man’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

“Father.”