Childhood Friend of the Zenith

༺ The Thing I Wish To Show (6) ༻

Crack!

In a single sound…

One whole side of his shoulder was shattered to pieces.

Crack!

By the second…

He wondered what part of his body had given way this time.

He couldn’t really tell in his state.

Not only did his nerves falter, but his vision dimmed as well.

He could only swing his sword with pure instinct.

Yet, the blade’s sharpness remained as threatening as ever.

The Divine Qi coursing through Jang Seonyeon’s body amplified his physical strength and martial prowess. It elevated him to a point where he could effortlessly outmatch a martial artist of equal caliber, to overpowering them without a single graze on him,

Craaack.

Yet, to his opponent, it was no more than a cute display.

“Ugghh…!”

Jang Seonyeon staggered back a few steps, dropping to his knees, clutching onto his chest.

“Why…”

He unintentionally whispered aloud, seemingly unaware of his own words.

“Why do you think?”

It appeared that Gu Yangcheon could hear even that.

Gu Yangcheon extended his arm out towards Jang Seonyeon, causing him to flinch upon seeing it.

‘Dammit…’

Jang Seonyeon struggled to keep his shoulders from shaking and cursed silently. He felt a crushing humiliation and shame in his fear.

The outstretched hand brushed his cheek a few times before withdrawing, a moment of profound humiliation for Jang Seonyeon.

‘Why.’

‘Just why.’

“You don’t get it, right? Well, you never will.”

Perhaps he would never know, something that I wish for to happen.

The reason? It’s simple.

Nowadays, the phrase ‘powerful person’ has become extremely overused, a cliché uttered far too often.

Nonetheless, the world continues to host tournaments to see two individuals clash against each other in a battle of strength to determine the stronger of the two.

Thus, in the end, it boiled down to a simple fact: he was weak, and I was strong.

‘However, he was stronger than I had expected.’

Given the watchful eyes of the onlookers and the fact that I couldn’t afford to end his life in front of a crowd, I aimed to show just enough force.

However, the bastard proved to be stronger than my expectations.

This forced me to resort to an ability, enhancing my body with Fire Qi.

It was something that I had never imagined I would have to use on a young prodigy.

‘He is hovering at the start of the Peak Realm.’

His martial level was around the peak of the first-rate realm, a nigh impossible feat for someone at Jang Seonyeon’s age.

Namgung’s Pissing Dragon paled in comparison.

He could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Sword Phoenix, Sword Dragon, and the Water Dragon.

Yet, this bastard was enhancing his power with some unknown strength.

‘Despite doing that, he didn’t break through the middle dantian.’

I couldn’t detect the energy unique to those at peak realm, emanating from that bastard.

It appeared to be a temporary power-up, and it seemed that he couldn’t even maintain it for long.

‘Which was likely why he didn’t use it from the beginning.’

I didn’t think that him not using it from the beginning was just because he wanted an excuse for himself,

It was either because he couldn’t maintain it for long, or that it only had a limited number of uses. Perhaps even both.

‘And if this energy is similar to the one I took from Namgung Cheonjun, does that mean I could also use it?’

I attempted it, but the energy remained unresponsive.

Furthermore, the purifying process of the energy outpaced even demonic Qi, making it impossible to test it further.

‘It’s different from Demonic Qi.’

Demonic Qi could indeed enhance the body, but it didn’t increase the potency of martial skills.

Its main purpose was to enable the practitioner to perform the demonic arts, and symbolized one’s transformation into a demonic human.

“However, this is.”

I recalled the moment when Jang Seonyeon sliced through my flames with a single swing.

I expected him to evade, but he cleaved through them instead.

Swish!

Amidst my contemplation, Jang Seonyeon’s sword sliced through the air toward me.

It closed in on my neck at breakneck speed,

Crack!

But I evaded the sword by tilting my head to the side and swiftly twisted his wrist holding the sword.

I had no qualms about breaking it.

“Aghhhh!”

Jang Seonyeon’s scream reverberated loudly.

It appeared he had been suppressing his screams until now, but had finally reached his limit.

I found myself slightly surprised, seeing him continue to attack me.

‘Didn’t I intimidate him more than enough?’

I had believed my actions would be enough to make him feel afraid, to the point that when we cross paths in the future, he would be too destroyed to even think about getting in my way.

Killing him now was not an option, which was why I wanted to crush him now to make it an easier task when I see him next time.

However, it seemed his spirit remained intact.

Thus, a thought crossed my mind.

‘How much more can I break him, I wonder.’

It’d be faster for me to just kill him, but I had to be a little more careful if I wanted to only break his bones.

I couldn’t beat him up to the point of his injuries becoming incurable after all, as I couldn’t afford to ruin my relationship with the Murim Alliance already.

‘Stuff like this always annoys me.’

It was exasperating not being able to kill those wretches whenever I wanted.

I understood that I couldn’t control the world, but I couldn’t help but be frustrated when I couldn’t do anything about a bastard like him.

‘Why did I even regress at this point? I feel so powerless.’

I kicked his joint, sending him tumbling to the ground again.

“You’re gonna get into serious trouble if you keep moving like tha-”

Pop!

As I quickly raised my hand to block, the sound of Qi exploding pierced the air.

That bastard had unleashed Sword Qi at me.

Not only had I broken his right hand, I had even twisted his left wrist that was holding his sword, so how was he even doing this?

‘This bastard?’

Jang Seonyeon swung his sword despite his broken wrist.

I didn’t know how he would heal his wrist if he kept going at this rate, but I had to acknowledge his spirit.

So you truly are a martial artist, huh?

I kicked Jang Seonyeon’s chest, sending him flying, as I glanced at the judge.

The arena was in shambles and Jang Seonyeon’s body was in a mostly ruined state, making it impossible for the fight to be continued.

The judge seemed aware of this, his eyes betraying a sense of uncertainty.

However, he couldn’t intervene.

‘Because he hasn’t forfeited.’

Unless one side lost consciousness, the judge wasn’t allowed to interfere.

‘And you plan to continue, despite knowing that?’

Even though he must have been aware of his impending defeat.

He was still planning to keep going when he ended up in that state, even after using his unknown power?

‘He wouldn’t have kept going if it was the bastard that I knew.’

It made me curious.

If it was the bastard from my previous life, he wouldn’t have made such a choice.

He would have instead plotted from behind the scenes after the duel.

‘So does that mean him at this point of time is different from the bastard I knew in my past life?’

I hoped that wasn’t the case, as it was the thing I wanted to happen the least.

‘And even if that was the case,’

It didn’t matter.

I had no intention of changing my plans.

Even if he didn’t become evil yet, and right now he was just a child drunk with power…

‘It doesn’t erase the things you did in the past,’

It wasn’t from a desire to be forgiven or any such noble sentiment.

I was simply enraged, and he became an outlet for my anger.

The reason I was focusing on his chest, was simply because he had left a wound on Namgung Bi-ah’s chest.

And the reason I wanted to engrave fear into his mind, wasn’t due to some grand purpose.

It was simply because I wanted to release my frustration onto him.

Let’s not think of myself as an adult.

That would probably do more harm than good for me.

I had lived my life as a nasty and rude person, and that past of mine is what has made me.

So let’s not deny that past.

Denial would only be poison to me.

I had to reach even greater levels.

Much, much greater than now.

‘So I don’t have much time to spare on this bastard.’

It’s about time that I end this.

It wasn’t enough time for me to relieve all my stress onto him, but it also wasn’t good for me to keep dragging this on.

So I had to end this.

‘But let me give one last parting gift.’

Ending it by hitting his chin is rather lame, so either I had to break his arm once more or…

Do something amusing to his genitals.

I felt that it would be such a waste if I didn’t do either of those two.

But all of a sudden…

Craaack-

Jang Seonyeon stood up.

Because of him forcing his body up, each movement was accompanied by a disconcerting sound of bones cracking.

His body was in such a state of disarray, it seemed like he couldn’t even properly get up.

The pain must have been excruciating.

‘I guess he just has that much willpow-’

I was about to attribute his tenacity to willpower when an eerie sensation I felt sent chills down my spine.

It wasn’t hard for me to notice.

For I experienced this a lot in my past life.

But I didn’t expect that I would already experience it in this life.

“That dumbass of a bastard.”

Jang Seonyeon’s eyes turned white as he forced his body up while holding his sword.

It meant that he had already lost consciousness.

Some may wonder how he could still move then.

‘He was eaten by the power.’

When a demonic human used too much Demonic Qi or forced themselves to keep going even when they couldn’t, their consciousness would get eaten by the power and turn them into a monster.

I called this a state of being consumed by one’s power.

And this bastard right here was in that exact state.

Despite the power feeling different from Demonic Qi, it seemed like it had similar side effects.

‘Is this because I beat him up way too much?’

That was, probably, the most likely case.

As I did, beat him up to the point where he would die if he didn’t use his power.

I stared at Jang Seonyeon, who was faltering.

He wouldn’t die if I just left him there, but his mind would rupture.

‘Should I just leave him be then?’

Well, it wasn’t a bad idea.

If he became crippled like that, then it would seem like he destroyed himself while trying to protect his pride as a martial artist.

Then the Murim Alliance Leader wouldn’t blame me. Well, there was a chance he would resent me since he was his father.

‘But if he’s going to blame someone, then he should blame the Second Elder.’

Not I know if that bear of an old man would be of any help at all though.

It would relieve my stress the most if I killed Jang Seonyeon with my own two hands, but I had no intention of ruining my plans just for revenge.

I had much more pressing things than that.

I got into my stance, but that bastard who got up only stared at me.

As I stared into his hollow eyes, I flowed my Qi slightly, just in case he charged at me.

But unlike my expectations, the bastard didn’t charge at me.

Instead…

“It’s you.”

He suddenly spoke to me.

And his pronunciation was way too clear despite his lips that became swollen.

Had he not lost consciousness?

“What?”

I asked him, baffled at what he was trying to say, but he only continued at his own pace.

“I felt something break, but it was you.”

His unsettling giggle bothered me.

I charged at him without hesitation, gripping his throat.

A peculiar sensation crept over me, every hair on my body standing on end, and cold sweat threatening to erupt.

I didn’t know what to call this horrendous sensation.

“What are you.”

When I demanded while gripping his throat, Jang Seonyeon smiled.

The shape of his lips didn’t change, yet he was smiling with a silent joy.

“That’s what I want to ask. Child, what are you.”

“I asked what you are.”

Clennnch.

I gradually put more strength into my hand holding his throat.

It was to warn that I would break his throat if he said anything dumb.

However, the bastard wouldn’t just stay silent.

“What are you, for you to possess so much within yourself.”

He shouldn’t even be able to breathe, considering the force with which I held him, yet he spoke unfazed.

“No, you’re not Jang Seonyeon.”

It was definitely something different.

Had he, too, become host to an entity inside him? It didn’t shock me, considering how many beings had taken up residence within me in this life.

It wasn’t surprising for a person to house a ghost.

However, the problem lied elsewhere.

[Heeee…]

I heard a voice, a clear and echoing voice within my head.

I initially thought it might be Elder Shin.

‘Elder Shin…?’

I quickly called his name, thinking he might have returned unexpectedly.

[Heee… Heeeeee… Hungry…]

But it wasn’t Elder Shin.

“What the hell is this now?”

[Hungry…. Eat… eat thaaaat…]

All of a sudden, an unknown voice began to resonate inside my mind.

At the same time, my dantian quivered and the energy within me grew increasingly turbulent, as though I had lost control over my body.

Of course, this had to happen when the fight was almost over.

[Eat… it! That… eat… must eat it.]

The voice was dissonant, as if it contained multiple voices merged into one, and even a few sentences sent a headache throbbing through my skull.

‘…This voice…’

While I was scowling due to the pain, I remembered that I heard this voice from somewhere.

The voice I heard after absorbing Namgung Cheonjun’s energy, at the last moment of my battle against him.

Also…

The voice I heard in Shaanxi after my fight against Ya Hyeoljeok.

At that last moment, the voice I heard before passing out, was the same as the voice I was hearing now.

Ring.

“…!”

I clenched my teeth as my energy started to move of its own accord, while I was trying to endure the headache.

My Demonic Absorb had activated by itself once more.

‘Fuck, I can’t this time.’

Absorbing others’ energy would only raise questions, and I didn’t want to deal with that issue.

I couldn’t afford to get caught about the fact that I could absorb energy, at least not yet.

Absorbing others’ energy would only raise questions, and I didn’t want to deal with that issue, so I quickly tried to retract my hand.

Grab!

But Jang Seonyeon’s hand clasped my wrist.

“This is it. This sensation.”

Then he spoke, as though he had come to a realization, with the tone of a smiling man.

“You harbour darkness within your small body. Is it your massive bowl that keeps you from shattering, despite housing such a colossal entity? It doesn’t appear that way.”

I wanted to ask what nonsense he was spouting, but my mouth refused to obey.

‘Why is everything happening to me all at once.’

I could handle one issue at a time, but it felt as though everything was coming at me all at once.

He should be feeling the sensation of his power being absorbed, yet he held on more tightly with no intention of letting my hand go.

‘What strength …!’

If it was Jang Seonyeon’s strength, then I could easily escape from his grasp,

Yet, for some reason, it wasn’t easy for me to do so.

“I don’t know why the master of the abyss is inside of a child like you, but I am glad to have discovered it.”

The energy entering my body resembled Namgung Cheonjun’s, but the density felt different.

And my body was devouring this energy with relish.

“You are really savoring the feast.”

I became certain after hearing those words.

That despite being aware of me absorbing the energy…

The bastard was allowing it.

Tap!

After what felt like an eternity, Jang Seonyeon finally released my hand, and his body began to collapse, as if awaiting the moment.

“Child.”

I couldn’t respond to the bastard because my body wouldn’t listen to me, as if it was no longer under my control.

“With the joy of having met you, I’ve left you a gift. The beast within you will appreciate it.”

“I wished to offer it all, but unfortunately, this child’s body and spirit serve a purpose, so I can’t gift it as I desire.”

“So if you appreciate this gift, then come find me in the future.”

When Jang Seonyeon finished speaking, I faltered, dropping to one knee. The voice still echoed in my head, and I had much I wanted to say, but my tongue remained as unresponsive as a stone, despite regaining control of my body.

“It was a pleasure seeing you. If you meet the Dancer in the future, then relay this message to her.”

Jang Seonyeon slowly closed his eyes as he collapsed. And just before they shut completely, he uttered in a faint voice.

“I, Dok Gojun, seek you, child.”

After finishing with those words, Jang Seonyeon closed his eyes, and I heaved a deep sigh, lowering my knees to the ground.

The energy that had entered my body was one thing, but I also needed to make sense of the abrupt series of events that had just unfolded.

The judge, witnessing Jang Seonyeon’s loss of consciousness, hurried to assess the situation.

“…”

He briefly examined Jang Seonyeon’s condition and nodded, confirming that he had not perished.

Following that…

“The victory goes to Gu Clan’s Gu Yangcheon.”

The judge concluded that I was the victor.

— Woahhh!

The spectators erupted in cheers, their applause deafening, yet the crease on my forehead remained.

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