Childhood Friend of the Zenith

-You’re not Shincheol.

It was a familiar name, one I haven’t heard in a while.

It was the name of the old man who resided within me, and the name of the Divine Sword of Mount Hua.

However…“Why are you…”Why was this man in front of me speaking his name?

This man, just what is he?

First of all, he had golden hair and eyes.

Not only did it remind me of the Celestial Sword from my past life, but there was something odd about his half-transparent form.

Shincheol he said, right?

It was safe to say that no one was able to say Elder Shin’s name casually in the current timeline.

Only a few could—Cheonyoung, whom I met back in Shaolin, or Namgung Myung from the secret vault of the Namgung Clan, and other lingering heroes who left behind their souls.

This meant…This person…He didn’t seem like Namgung Myung, nor was he Cheolyoung.

That only left one possibility…It could only be either the Heavenly Poison, or…The name that came into my mind, almost of its own accord.

“…Yeon Il-Cheon.

”The Iron Fist, Yeon Il-Cheon.

He was one of the five heroes who halted the Blood Demon’s Blood Disaster, the Zenith himself.

And like me, he too was a regressor.

“…”The man in front of me, was he really Yeon Il-Cheon?

When I spoke his name, his expression shifted slightly.

Seeing his reaction, I asked.

“Are you the Iron Fist?

”The man responded.

-Yes, I am Yeon Il-Cheon.

He confirmed it—he truly was Yeon Il-Cheon.

I struggled to conceal my shock at his words.

His golden hair, eyes, and steel-like physique were unmistakable.

Everything matched the descriptions from the records, convincing me that this was truly the Iron Fist.

But one question still nagged at me.

“The Light of Might said that you didn’t remain in this world.

”Back when I met with Cheolyoung last time, he told Elder Shin that Yeon Il-Cheon didn’t get to leave his soul in the world.

Was the man standing before me, who claimed to be Yeon Il-Cheon, truly him?

Upon hearing my words, the man’s face reflected shock.

-You met with Cheolyoung?

“Yes”-Not Shincheol?

We had met him together, of course, but I wasn’t sure if I should reveal that just yet.

I didn’t know much about the person in front of me after all.

As I answered, the man glared at me.

Why was he staring at me like that?

-…What’s the current year?

“It has been many centuries ever since the Blood Demon disappeared.

”-Centuries, huh…?

The man’s eyes became dim for a moment.

What could he be thinking?

I didn’t let my guard down.

Could I burn it?

Where are the possible escape routes?

Could I retreat from the entrance I had come from?

It’s possible that the entrance has been blocked.

What if I break through the wall with my flames?

That would be risky, though, given I wasn’t sure what part of the basement I was in.

Which meant it wasn’t the safest option to alter the layout of this place.

Just as I was caught up in my thoughts,-You have good eyes.

The man abruptly gave me a compliment.

-You seem to have lots of thoughts in your mind, that’s not a bad habit.

For you to always expect the worst.

“…What do you mean by that?

”Upon hearing my question, the man looked toward the entrance I had come through.

-You are not Shincheol.

He repeated the same words as before.

Yes, I am indeed not Elder Shin, but does he think I don’t know that?

It only made him seem weird in my eyes.

“Well,”-But you managed to enter through that door.

And you’re standing before me now.

How is that possible?

I frowned slightly upon hearing him.

Did that mean no one could enter this door unless they were Elder Shin?

…What’s going on?

I noticed this back when I met the Light of Might.

Was there something truly special about Elder Shin?

It felt like everyone was looking for him.

“…What do you mean by that?

”-Moreover, you mentioned meeting Cheolyoung.

What exactly are you?

His words made me pause and think.

The fact that Elder Shin’s soul was inside my body.

As the man had said, if this room was meant only for Elder Shin, could I have entered because his soul is inside me?

“Uh, about that…”Just as I was about to explain, the man interrupted.

-I know that you have Shincheol’s soul inside you.

“…!

”He seemed to already know.

“How do you…?

”-I knew ever since I met you, that Shincheol was inside you.

His firm tone triggered a dull ache inside me.

It wasn’t exactly pain, but a strange sensation of vibrations and twisting deep within me.

This is-It was unlike the usual hunger-driven whining of the beast.

Elder Shin?

I reached out to Elder Shin in my thoughts, wondering if it was him, but the sensation vanished as quickly as it came.

I hoped that he would wake up soon, he had been asleep for far too long.

Only then could I begin to understand everything clearly.

However, he still gave no response.

-That’s why I ask.

Who are you?

“If the Divine Sword of Mount Hua is in my body, then how is it a problem that I did all of the things you mentioned before?

”Back when I met the Light of Might.

The moment I heard Namgung Myung’s voice.

Or even now.

If all of this was intended for Elder Shin, doesn’t that mean everything happened because his soul is inside me?

How could he find this so problematic?

The man shook his head at my question.

-It’s because it shouldn’t be only his soul that’s here.

The person I should be meeting with, should’ve been Shincheol himself.

“What nonsense are you talking about?

How could you expect the Divine Sword of Mount Hua here?

”Elder Shin had already died.

The same went for the man who called himself Yeon Il-Cheon.

The Light of Might, the Thunderous Sword, and the Heavenly Poison too.

Centuries had passed, meaning they either perished in the Blood Disaster or succumbed to old age.

Yet, everyone was searching for Elder Shin.

Even when I first met the Light of Might, he fell into despair upon realizing I wasn’t Elder Shin, as if everything had gone awry.

What’s happening?

Who exactly was Elder Shin that everyone was searching for?

It felt as if they needed him to come back alive.

“Does that mean that the Divine Sword of Mount Hua should’ve been resurrected?

”If not, how else could I interpret his words?

For him to say that Shincheol was meant to enter this secret vault.

I just couldn’t understand.

When I asked with a frown,-Yes.

The man responded.

“…What?

”His calm response left me stunned.

What did I hear just now?

My eyes widened in disbelief, but the man kept speaking.

-Shincheol should’ve found this place after resurrecting.

“What are you-“-In order to change the world’s fate, to break the curse and burden piled on this land, it was the decision we made.

-Because of that, we remained on this land, even if it meant leaving our souls behind.

If what the man said was true, then it meant that Elder Shin should’ve been resurrected on this land.

To change the world’s fate?

The fate of the world, along with the curse and burdens that had accumulated over time.

Just hearing it gave me a headache.

“What is this ‘fate’ that made you all stay here?

”The man’s gaze changed as he heard my question.

It felt as if he got more serious.

-Child of this generation, do you know about the Blood Demon?

“…Yes.

”Of course, I do.

How could I not?

That damned bastard is the source of so many of my problems.

While I frowned in frustration, the man continued.

-What do you think the Blood Demon is?

“Pardon?

”What did he mean by that?

He studied my expression for a moment, then spoke in a cold, deliberate tone.

-The Blood Demon is calamity itself.

Calamity.

It was a familiar word.

-It is the curse that befell the peaceful Central Plains.

A calamity.

I needed to grasp the true meaning behind his words.

Was he calling it a calamity because the Blood Demon wreaked havoc on the world?

I was able to tell that wasn’t what he necessarily meant by his words.

Calamity, this word surely had a different meaning to it.

-You mentioned that centuries have passed since the Blood Demon vanished?

“Yes.

”-Even though you’re not Shincheol, the fact that you’ve found this place means the Blood Demon has returned.

He was correct.

“…”-What a pitiful story.

It means we couldn’t alter the world’s fate after all…If the creature that tried to borrow Jang Seonyeon’s body was truly the Blood Demon, it meant that it still existed in this world.

Yet, I couldn’t see how this connected to my presence here.

“What does that have to do with what’s going on right now?

”-This world should have met its end in the grasp of the Blood Demon’s hand.

That was the fate of it.

“What?

”The world should have met its end?

Was he referring to the Blood Disaster caused by the Blood Demon?

That didn’t make sense because they did a good job in stopping it, so what kind of nonsense was he on about?

“Even if that’s true, you guys- “-If we had truly stopped the calamity, the Blood Demon wouldn’t have resurfaced in this era.

“…”-We weren’t able to, which is why we resorted to sealing it.

That was exactly what the Light of Might had told me.

He mentioned that the only thing the five heroes managed to do was seal the Blood Demon.

However, what did he mean by the world’s fate?

I still couldn’t understand what he meant by those words.

Why was he claiming the world was meant to end?

-Because of that, we had to make a decision.

We had to somehow stop the Blood Demon even after our deaths.

“…So you chose to resurrect the Divine Sword of Mount Hua?

”-That’s right.

“But how can you expect to…”How could they hope to change someone’s fate when they were only human?

I considered asking him, but the sight of the man in front triggered a memory.

He, like me, was a regressor, someone who had also traveled through time.

Does that mean he knew how to make such a thing possible?

-Judging by your expression, it seems you know a bit about me.

Who was it, I wonder?

Did you hear from Cheolyoung?

“…No, I heard it from the Divine Sword of Mount Hua.

”-That bastard still has a loose tongue, huh?

Strange that you’d believe such a ridiculous tale…Well, that’s because I also went through a regression.

“I want to ask you something.

”I had countless questions, but organizing everything he had told me was overwhelming.

“Just what is fate?

”To change the world’s fate, they made the decision to resurrect Elder Shin to this land.

I was curious.

Not of how they came to that decision, but why they had to.

“You said the world was destined to meet its end.

I want to hear more about that.

”-It’s exactly how it sounds.

The fate of the world… should’ve been in the hands of the Blood Demon.

“And who made such a decision?

”-I cannot say.

What kind of bullshit is that?

“Why not?

Is it because I’m not the Divine Sword of Mount Hua?

”-Yes, it’s because you are not Shincheol.

“You said you knew his soul was within me.

Doesn’t that mean you can tell me?

”-Precisely why I can’t tell you.

“…Pardon?

”What kind of nonsense was this?

My scowl deepened with rising anger, but his face only grew colder.

-It wasn’t only the Blood Demon we sealed.

“It wasn’t?

”-The most important thing was to destroy the calamity held by the Blood Demon.

“The calamity…”That meant they had to destroy the calamity that would have drenched the Central Plains in blood, bringing the world to its doom.

That means…“…Does that mean the calamity will return if the Blood Demon is resurrected?

”-No, it won’t return.

It wasn’t sealed—it was burned to ashes.

“Then doesn’t it not matter?

”If the calamity was destroyed, why was there anything left to worry about?

Just what was their problem?

Upon hearing my question, the man spoke in a regretful tone.

-That was our mistake.

His words caught my full attention.

A mistake, he said.

“A mistake?

”-The calamity wasn’t truly ended.

It was merely postponed.

The Blood Demon’s disappearance didn’t take the calamity with him—it was delayed, waiting for another time.

“But a calamity isn’t a tangible thing… You speak as if it comes back endlessly- “I paused mid-sentence.

Calamity doesn’t just vanish.

They just get delayed.

The world’s fate cannot be changed.

As his words sank in, one name flashed in my mind.

The Heavenly Demon…?

One day, Elder Shin said this to me.

The Heavenly Demon, whom I feared the most and often thought of, seemed eerily similar to the Blood Demon from his timeline.

The man in front said that calamity is only delayed into the future.

Does that mean that the next calamity is the Heavenly Demon?

If the world’s end was supposed to follow the Blood Demon,Does that mean it’s the Heavenly Demon?

If… that’s the case,In my past life, the Celestial Sword had slain the Heavenly Demon.

Doesn’t that mean the calamity was prevented?

I didn’t fully grasp the concept of fate, but didn’t that mean Wi Seol-Ah had stopped the calamity?

Didn’t everything go well?

Just as I had that thought,-Shincheol was our final hope to stop the calamity.

The man continued to speak.

He was basically telling me that Elder Shin’s role was to come back around the same time of the next calamity, to stop it for himself.

…But that’s not possible?

’Where did it all get twisted?

There were far too many issues for me to process all at once.

First of all, I hadn’t met anyone in my past life who resembled a reincarnation of Elder Shin.

There were far too many problems to call Wi Seol-Ah the reincarnation of Elder Shin, and though I wondered if it might have been Yung Pung, his abilities and circumstances in my past life didn’t add up.

…Did he die without me knowing?

It was possible, but then there was the matter of the treasure that held Shincheol’s soul.

In the end, it seemed that Elder Shin failed to resurrect and his soul became trapped in a treasure.

I didn’t understand it fully, but after sacrificing so much and waiting hundreds of years, they had ultimately failed their mission.

That’s why Cheolyoung fell in despair.

I somewhat understood.

Having reached that conclusion, I asked the man.

“Why was it Elder Shin, of all people?

”The Zenith of the time, and the heart of the five heroes, was Yeon Il-Cheon.

Given how Elder Shin often spoke of Yeon Il-Cheon’s immense strength, it should have been Yeon Il-Cheon resurrected, not Elder Shin.

-You heard from Cheolyoung correct?

That I wasn’t able to remain on this land.

“Yes.

”-He is correct.

Unlike them, I wasn’t able to remain.

“…Then exactly are you now?

”He claimed to be Yeon Il-Cheon, so what did he mean?

-I am just a memory of the past.

A memory that remained to inform Shincheol of everything if he came to this place.

A memory of the past?

I had heard of something like that,But such a thing was possible?

He left it behind in a secret vault, protected by a Formation?

Was it really set to activate the moment Elder Shin arrived?

That seemed far beyond the capabilities of mere humans.

This meant that Cheolyoung I met back in Shaolin, Namgung Myung, and even Yeon Il-Cheon right now were all just destined encounters for Elder Shin.

-It is sin to travel through time, as it defies the fate given to them by a higher entity.

-It’s why I couldn’t remain on this land, and why Shincheol was the best person out of all of us.

It is sinful for a person to regress.

I was extremely concerned by that phrase, but I chose to set it aside for now.

“It should have been Elder Shin, you say.

”-Yes, Shincheol… He is our hope.

The old man who curses, drools over women, and yells at me whenever I have girls around… carried such a heavy burden?

No matter how hard I tried to wrap my head around it, it just didn’t fit.

If the man’s words were really true,“…Then what should I do?

”What did I need to do?

I had absorbed Elder Shin’s soul and Qi, and now I was getting all these revelations when all I wanted were some treasures.

So what did I need to do now?

I then slid a question in.

“Uh… Should I just leave now?

”I was asking if I could leave since I could ask Elder Shin later when he wakes up.

What choice did I have, really?

There wasn’t much I could do with things as they were.

Sure, I’d heard some shocking stuff, but none of it meant I could take action right now.

But what about the treasures inside the secret vault?

If these treasures were meant for Elder Shin, didn’t it make sense for me to take them?

When I continued to look around awkwardly,-Even if one tries to change fate, it will return to its original place.

-No matter how much one struggles, they will only learn this in the end.

He then suddenly started to say random things with a heavy tone of voice.

-How you managed to get here.

-How you have Shincheol’s soul inside you.

-What do you think that means?

“…Pardon?

”Why was he suddenly behaving like this?

A strange feeling began to creep over me.

Why the sudden shift in his demeanor right in the middle of his explanation?

-The twisted fate that we used all of our strengths to achieve…-Was undone, restored to its original path by someone’s interference.

Rumble.

As he spoke, the secret vault began to tremble.

“What are you…!

”-You may not leave this place.

“What did you say?

”His words left me speechless.

I can’t leave, he says?

“What kind of nonsense is this?

Are you taking your anger out on me because things didn’t go your way?

”What does he expect me to do?

He turned violent out of nowhere.

Rumble!

“Fuck me…?

”The room trembled harder.

Something was definitely happening.

I made a break for the entrance—Zaaap!

But I hit an invisible barrier and was thrown back.

“Agh!

Ugh, why are you doing this!

”I yelled after being repelled, but his expression only grew colder.

“For fucks sake, it’s not my fault that you guys failed, so why are you suddenly doing this!

Whatever the Blood Demon is, I’ll stop it!

”I’ve been busting my ass trying to stop the Heavenly Demon, and now the Blood Demon gets thrown in too—“So you can’t be doing this to me!

”I didn’t know why he was trying to erase me from existence.

Does he have anger issues or something?

The space around me started to crumble.

Instinct told me I was screwed if I stayed any longer.

Should I explode this place?

I didn’t know if I had enough strength, but I didn’t have time to think it over.

I opened my palm, gathering my Qi.

I hadn’t expected to do this right after recovering from my injury.

If I used the Flaming Sphere again, I’d definitely hurt myself.

But I’m not in a situation where I could worry about getting injured.

I first have to survive.

Swoosh-!

Flaming--You are the calamity.

“…What?

”Just as I was about to unleash my Secret Arts with full force, his words caused all my Qi to dissipate.

I was stunned into silence.

“You bastard, what the hell did you just say?

”-I don’t know what kind of life you’ve led.

“I asked what the fuck you just said, you bastard.

”-How Shincheol’s soul ended up inside you, and how you reached such a level at your age.

-Moreover…-How you were able to regress like me.

I don’t know any of it.

“…!

”He knew about my regression too.

How?

Just how?

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the time to debate that.

“…What does that have to do with you calling me a calamity?

Shouldn’t you keep me alive then?

”If he knew how I’ve been dealing with everyone else’s mess since my regression, shouldn’t he be helping me?

“Why the hell are you trying to kill me, you crazy bastard?

”-The one who let slip from their grasp once won’t be foolish enough to let it happen again.

“You’re talking nonsense aga—“-Have you never thought your regression was odd?

“…What?

”-That is fate.

Rumble-!

With a violent vibration ringing in my head, I felt my end approaching.

My body refused to move, snared by his words.

My regression…?

His words hit me like a knife to the chest.

It felt as if everything in my head went away and was now filled with heavy thoughts.

You are the calamity.

I kept getting reminded of what the man said to me which made it hard for me to breathe.

Craaack…!

As the space around me began to collapse, I felt my body breaking apart with it, struggling to pull myself out of my spiraling thoughts.

Yet, I was completely paralyzed, unable to move.

Then,Swish-!

My hand moved, but not by my own will.

“…Huh?

”My limbs began to move, but it wasn’t me controlling them.

-…What…!

The man’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting this either, but I was just as confused.

It felt as if someone was controlling my bod-[ You have no trust in yourself.

How about you take that dick off of you.

You dumb idiot.

]“…Ah?

”The moment I heard that voice, my foggy mind cleared, as if wiped clean.

The coarse voice of an old man—the voice I had longed to hear.

“Elder Shin?

”As soon as I said his name, I heard a chuckle in my head.

Hehe.

-…Shincheol.

The man muttered in disbelief, but Elder Shin remained silent.

Unlike with the Light of Might, he wasn’t even greeting him back.

Instead, he guided my hand towards something in the distorted space, pulling cloth away from the treasures, searching for something.

“Elder?

This isn’t the time for you to…!

”I tried to rush him, but he kept moving my hand.

Then in the end, he grabbed something from the pile of objects.

-…You will regret it, Shincheol.

The man spoke as he watched.

[ Regret?

]Finally, he grabbed something from the pile.

[ As always, this is my decision.

I will have no regrets.

]That playful yet confident tone—it was unmistakably Elder Shin.

-Shincheol…[ You’ve gotten worse over the years, Il-Cheon.

]-…[ But it was still nice seeing you.

]As Elder Shin spoke,Swoosh-!

The object in my hand released a scent, filling the room with the overwhelming fragrance of plum blossoms.

The Taoist Qi was powerful and grand, unlike anything I had ever experienced before—far beyond anything I’d encountered.

[ Hold your breath, kid.

]Elder Shin’s voice echoed as my vision was overtaken by a sea of plum blossoms.