Childhood Friend of the Zenith

A day had passed.

Despite the passage of time, this damned illusion had yet to break, and in the meantime, I focused on gathering whatever information I could about this twisted world.

One thing was certain: this place was indeed the past life I had once experienced.

That much was clear the moment I saw it.

“A damnable world.

”Gritting my teeth, I clenched my jaw.

I felt like I was beginning to understand what Tang Jemoon had meant by “regret.

”This was the time I regretted most.

It felt as if I had been thrown back here to relive the moments I wished to forget, the very life I never wanted to experience again.

For me, this was hell itself.

I knew this wasn’t the real past but just an illusion.

I briefly entertained the thought that maybe, just maybe, if I managed to prevent certain things from happening, it might alter the future.

But deep down, I knew that was a futile hope.

Nothing here could be changed, and I was simply here to witness it all over again.

That’s what made this a living hell.

To be in a place where nothing could be altered and where all I could do was watch—this was hell enough for me.

‘What could she want me to learn from this?

’I brushed my hand through the flowing water as I pondered, trying to make sense of Tang Jemoon’s intentions.

What was the purpose of this trial?

And what did she mean by the “choice” she spoke of?

I couldn’t know.

All I could do was stare at the river with a heavy gaze.

My reflection in the water caught my eye.

The face looking back was unfamiliar—because it wasn’t mine.

I touched my face, feeling a strange disconnect between the reflection and the sensation of my own hand.

‘It’s only the appearance that’s different; the feel is the same.

’It felt like an illusionary mask had been placed over me.

If anything, it was a very natural disguise.

‘Age-wise…I guess it’s similar to my current self?

’It looked like I was just barely old enough to be called a young man.

‘So that’s why she didn’t recognize me.

’Looking at myself, I began to understand why the Sword Demon Empress hadn’t recognized me.

My usual fierce eyes were gone, replaced by a slightly softer, gentler look.

I looked almost the exact opposite of my true self, which made it all the more awkward.

Leaving my reflection behind, I took in my surroundings.

I had a rough idea that we were somewhere in Sichuan, though I wasn’t sure of the exact location.

‘And what time period is this?

’This was the most critical part: understanding when exactly I was.

But I still lacked enough information.

‘At least…the Sword Demon Empress is alive, and Sichuan has already fallen, hasn’t it?

’If so, then the Poison Queen is probably dead by now.

“…”I bit my lip as I muttered to myself.

With Sichuan overtaken by demonic forces, the Murim Alliance was likely trying to retake it.

Though I knew their efforts would ultimately fail.

‘…Because I’m here.

’As repulsive as my arrogance was, it was the truth.

The Heavenly Lord may have been fully present in Sichuan, but he wouldn’t be able to infiltrate any deeper.

If he showed himself, the Heavenly Demon would descend.

The Heavenly Demon had issued a stern warning:He would overlook the retreat of the Poison King and the bloodline of the Tang Clan to Shaolin, but if any of the Three Sovereigns intervened, he would also make his appearance.

Arrogant as that warning was, it proved effective.

After witnessing the Heavenly Demon’s power firsthand, they understood her words were no empty threat.

Moreover…‘The cult hasn’t launched a full assault yet.

’The Heavenly Demon could crush the Orthodox Factions by advancing to Henan at any moment, but for some reason, she commanded us to hold our ground in Sichuan.

And so we waited.

‘One year, maybe two.

’It was around that time.

I don’t remember the exact date.

Back then, I hadn’t been in any state of mind to track the passage of time.

‘So…when exactly is this?

’I needed to figure out where I was in this waiting period.

Because at the end of this period…‘…is the Sword Demon Empress’s death.

’It was the event that marked the true beginning of the war and the death of the Sword Demon Empress.

I glanced over at her, staring at the river with a distant look.

She wasn’t looking for anything in particular.

It was just that…“…Lady Sword Empress, I’m fairly certain this isn’t the right way.

”“…”She was lost.

I’d forgotten for a moment.

The Sword Demon Empress was, infamously, terrible with directions.

I should have realized when she took the lead.

‘…How could I forget this?

’The Sword Demon Empress would often turn left when I’d say right.

When I’d tell her to go straight, she’d turn backward, sometimes even taking a turn.

I knew this all too well, yet I’d just followed her thoughtlessly.

‘What should I do?

’I had been following her as she navigated along the river.

She moved fast, but not so fast that I couldn’t keep up.

It was probably her way of accommodating me.

‘If we keep going this way, we’re definitely going in the opposite direction, right?

’We’d been wandering for an entire day.

And not just wandering—we’d walked through the night without sleep.

‘This is ridiculous.

’Though I wasn’t entirely sure where we were, I knew the general direction to the Great Hall.

But I didn’t say anything, instead choosing to stay silent and just follow her.

‘But if this keeps up…we’ll be going in circles, even after seven days and nights.

’Avoiding the Great Hall wasn’t a bad idea, but letting her continue aimlessly wasn’t the best plan either.

‘What should I do?

’Maybe I should subtly suggest heading in another direction.

Not that it’d be easy.

‘…But if I mess this up, she might cut me down.

’The Sword Demon Empress wasn’t Namgung Bi-ah; I had to be cautious even when speaking to her.

She despised humans to the extreme, and her resentment toward men was especially fierce.

The only reason she was taking me to the Great Hall was because I’d claimed to be part of the Black Flame Unit, not because we were both part of the cult.

The Sword Demon Empress wouldn’t hesitate to kill even her own comrades, so I had to keep my distance, constantly gauging her reactions.

Then…“…!

”She suddenly turned her head, her gaze fixed on something.

Flash.

“What?

”In an instant, she disappeared, leaving only a faint trace of Lightning Qi behind.

Damn it.

I couldn’t follow her movements.

The speed with which she vanished was beyond my ability to track.

I’d thought I’d grown stronger after reaching the Fire Realm, but this reminded me just how far I had to go.

To think I couldn’t even catch a trace of her movement.

‘Where did she go?

’I halted, searching for her, when—crackle—she reappeared in front of me, clutching someone by the collar.

“Huff… Huff…”The person she’d grabbed was, surprisingly, another demonic being.

Given that Sichuan was under the cult’s control, it wasn’t unusual for a demonic being to be around.

But… why had she brought him here?

“Huff… huff…!

”Judging by his expression, it seemed this wasn’t a friendly abduction.

He looked at her, wide-eyed, in something close to terror.

“L-Lady Sword Demon…!

”The Sword Demon Empress’s face was as cold as ice as she looked down at him.

“…The location…direction…of the Great Hall.

”The curt demand told me everything I needed to know.

‘Did she seriously bring him here just to ask for directions?

’It seemed so.

The man hesitated for a moment at her terse words, but quickly responded.

“If it’s the Great Hall, you just need to head west… Gah?!

”The moment he answered, she flung him aside, and he screamed as he flew off into the distance.

Did she really capture him just to ask for directions?

“…”What was this situation?

I watched in stunned silence as she wiped her hands on her clothes, as if she’d touched something dirty.

Then, she looked at me.

“…West.

Let’s go….

”“…Ah, yes.

”She turned, ready to move again.

“Wait a moment.

”“…?

”She paused and looked back at me.

There was a specific reason I’d called her.

“That’s east, Lady Sword Empress.

West is the other way.

”“…Hm.

”“And that’s north….

”After stopping twice, the Sword Demon Empress looked at me with an expressionless gaze.

I understood the unspoken message in her eyes.

“…You want me to lead the way, right?

”“…”She didn’t answer, but her silence was enough.

Realizing that this was an affirmative, I started walking westward.

‘Is this really the right thing to do?

’Even as I walked, I couldn’t help but think.

Was it wise to voluntarily lead myself to the Great Hall?

I could just as easily head east, and she probably wouldn’t even notice.

But even as I considered this, my feet continued forward.

There were things I needed to confirm, and more than that…‘I need to find a way out of this damned illusion.

’I had to figure out how to end this trial.

The fact that I’d been sent back to this specific time and met the Sword Demon Empress immediately afterward…meant that, for now, I had to stay close to her.

I made that judgment.

As I considered this, I glanced at her.

But then…“Lady Sword Empress… Where are you going?

”“Oh… mistake…”The Sword Demon Empress had started to veer off the path, only to pause and correct herself.

“…”Watching her, I nodded slightly to myself.

It seemed that staying on course would be anything but easy.

******************We ran westward for what felt like an eternity.

It would take another day or so, which meant that I had now been in this accursed illusion for two days.

After that time, a massive building finally came into view—a structure I hadn’t seen in what felt like forever.

‘…Finally, we’ve arrived.

’Reflecting on the struggles of the past day, I could only shake my head.

Watching the Sword Demon Empress carefully to make sure she didn’t disappear on me, staying cautious with my words to avoid irritating her—what a damn hassle.

‘If this were Namgung Bi-ah, I would’ve given her ten smacks on the head by now.

’But I couldn’t, not with her.

If I tried that with the Sword Demon Empress, I’d lose my arm—and probably my neck, too.

As we walked toward the Great Hall, the scene around us reminded me just how grim the situation was.

‘There isn’t a single place free from the stench of blood.

’Traces of battle were everywhere.

Bodies lay half-rotted, filling the air with a stifling odor.

Rivers ran through the land, bodies floating on the surface.

‘…’All I could do was clench my jaw in frustration.

‘No matter how I think about it…’This was a disgusting memory.

Forcing down a sigh, I continued walking.

Just outside the center of Sichuan, there was once a prominent commercial building.

But the cult had remodeled it for its own purposes.

The Great Hall, as we called it.

As we approached the building, a gatekeeper bowed his head.

"Greetings to the Deputy Lord.

"The words were directed at the Sword Demon Empress.

Deputy Lord—that was her position in the Black Flame Unit.

The Sword Demon Empress glanced at the gatekeeper with her usual hazy gaze and asked, “…Where is the Unit Lord?

”“He’s waiting inside.

”At the gatekeeper’s response, she nodded.

The gatekeeper glanced at me with a curious look, and she added a word.

“…A recruit.

”“A recruit, huh?

”The gatekeeper’s face broke into a grin.

“A cute one, too.

I’ll see you around, recruit.

”“…”His smile was filled with interest, mixed with a hint of amusement.

‘What was this guy’s name again?

’I couldn’t remember.

In my past life, I hadn’t bothered learning the names of mere gatekeepers.

I said nothing in reply, simply following behind the Sword Demon Empress as she moved.

All the while, a thought kept nagging at me.

‘Am I really doing this?

’Voluntarily walking back into a den of demons.

Was I really going through with this?

One slip-up in front of the Heavenly Demon, and that would be the end of me.

‘…As if I have any other choice.

’If this trial was indeed tied to my regrets, I figured there had to be something here—whether with the Sword Demon Empress or something else in this life.

‘…I could go and see the Divine Sword.

’That was an option, though something in my gut told me this was the path I needed to follow.

Step by step, I moved forward down the corridor, until a massive door loomed at the end of the silent hall.

Just as I took a step toward it—“…Kuh…!

”—an involuntary groan escaped my lips.

A torrent of energy and killing intent was pouring from beyond that door.

Sweat trickled down my face.

My heart pounded wildly, and my energy defenses kicked in, wrapping around me instinctively.

But even that wasn’t enough to shield me completely.

Crack.

Just as my breathing became labored, a surge of energy enveloped me, shielding me.

The Sword Demon Empress’s Lightning Qi.

“Haa…?

”The blocked air rushed into my lungs, and my pounding heart gradually settled.

It seemed she had intervened with a shield of Qi.

‘…But why?

’I glanced at her curiously.

The Sword Demon Empress was not someone who would bother helping a stranger she’d only met days ago.

Whether she noticed my stare or not, she continued moving toward the door.

Finally, we reached it.

Creeeeaaak—!

As she approached, the door slowly opened on its own.

I flinched at the dense demonic energy spilling from within.

It was overwhelming.

The air was thick with malice, and the atmosphere even more oppressive.

The large room beyond was filled with demonic energy, lined with figures kneeling in rows on either side.

Every individual radiated a formidable aura.

Not a single one was weak.

As the oppressive energy pressed down, I furrowed my brows.

“You’re late.

”A heavy voice rang out from the throne at the far end of the room.

The dark, murderous tone in his voice made me swallow dryly.

The demonic energy filling the room pulsed in response to his words, tightening around me.

Forcing myself to breathe, I looked up to meet his gaze.

The man’s purple eyes settled on me.

Same as ever.

I felt a smirk rise within me as I looked at him.

The weary eyes, the aura of death clinging to him like a shroud.

The man’s overwhelming demonic energy distorted the air around him, and the other demons dared not lift their heads.

He seemed imposing and powerful.

‘What a pathetic sight.

’But to me, he was nothing more than an incompetent worm.

The man who had fled from everything, achieving nothing—here he was in front of me.

As I looked at him, a thought crossed my mind.

‘It’s been a while.

’It had only been two days since I was thrown into this nightmare of my past life.

‘You damn fool.

’I was now face-to-face with the Black Flame Demon.