Childhood Friend of the Zenith

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the feeling of being held by someone.

Soft, careful hands gently stroked my back.

Slowly, I lifted my head to assess the situation.

“…Huh?

”The stroking hand paused as I shifted, and I looked directly into the eyes of the person holding me.

It was Mageomhu.

She looked at me, her eyes wide.

“…You’re… awake?

”“…”She looked utterly exhausted, her expression weary.

I found myself at a loss for words as I looked at her.

“Why…?

”Why was she like this?

As I glanced around, my expression turned puzzled.

“…!

”I was immediately stunned by what I saw.

The situation was far from normal.

Dark, unfamiliar shapes littered the ground around us, their forms fading but still leaving an unsettling impression.

And then—“Burned?

”There were traces of fire everywhere around us.

Just one glance, and I knew immediately.

That was my fire.

Fwoosh.

The flame, still flickering on the ground, was brilliant.

It was deep blue.

“Blue flame?

”My flames typically had a purplish hue, or they mixed with dark energy.

But seeing this blue flame burn so brightly could only mean one thing—bloodlust’s influence.

Why was such a flame left here?

Feeling something strange, I clenched my hand.

Fwoosh—!

A flame rose from my hand.

I frowned at it.

It was blue.

“What…?

”I was sure I hadn’t called forth my bloodlust, and I’d suppressed my dark energy, so it should have been the usual purplish flame.

‘…This is.

’The flame on my hand was unmistakably the one that appeared when I used bloodlust.

I immediately checked within myself.

The first thing I focused on was my dantian.

I wanted to know what had happened to the empty space left when the vessel shattered.

Thump—!

“…!

”As I directed my energy inward, I felt a response from an unexpected place.

My heart.

More precisely, from where my middle dantian was located.

“What’s this?

”Why was it suddenly reacting?

Confused, I began circulating my energy through my body.

Fortunately, my energy moved according to my will.

Did that mean my vessel had returned?

However…‘…All of it’s centered around my heart.

’The origin of all my energy was the middle dantian.

Normally, it should be flowing from the lower dantian to the middle, then eventually filling the upper dantian.

‘If it starts at the middle dantian…’It means my lower dantian, the source of my energy, has disappeared.

So where did all that energy go?

I immediately delved into my middle dantian.

‘Ha.

’I found it.

All the energy that had once resided in the lower dantian had moved and now resided within the middle dantian.

How could this happen?

Just as I was struggling to understand the bizarre situation, I felt a cool touch on my cheek.

“Are you… alright?

”It was Mageomhu’s hand.

Startled, I quickly straightened myself up.

“Oh?

”As I tried to rise, I stumbled slightly.

Something felt off.

‘The height…’It seemed a little higher than I remembered.

The unfamiliar perspective made my body briefly unsteady.

“…”Mageomhu also stood up slowly, and seeing her, I finally grasped the problem.

‘My height…’Looking at her, she seemed smaller than usual.

I had always been slightly taller than her, but not by this much.

Where there had been a difference of only a finger’s width, now it looked closer to half a hand span.

‘I’ve grown taller.

’I especially noticed my arms and legs had lengthened.

And that wasn’t all.

As I looked down at my right arm, my eyes widened.

‘…What the hell?

’The purple bandages wrapped around it had turned blue, and the state of my arm underneath was utterly strange.

It was covered in scales.

Previously, only a few scales had appeared on my right arm…‘Now there are even fewer on my right arm.

’Compared to my left arm, the right arm almost looked normal.

My left arm was entirely covered in blue scales, to the point where it didn’t look human.

How had my arm come to this?

As I thought back, a memory surfaced.

When the bloodlust had taken the form of a dragon, my left arm was the one bitten.

Could this be the result of that?

The appearance was unsettling.

Although the bandages covered it, the scales had extended up to my shoulder, which was far from normal.

‘…Is the rest of my body intact?

’I examined myself, and thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any other issues.

At least not visibly.

For now, aside from my left arm, everything else seemed fine.

I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times.

Clench.

“…”The grip felt stronger.

My physical body itself seemed to have grown more powerful.

‘It’s like I’ve been reborn.

’Aside from the energy centered in my middle dantian and the physical changes, it was practically a transformation.

Moreover—‘…My incomplete state seems to have stabilized.

’The unstable state I had lingered in finally felt balanced.

Aside from my outward appearance, was there anything else that had changed?

‘If my vessel shattered, I should no longer be human.

’Yet, I wasn’t sensing any drastic transformation.

I thought I’d turn into some kind of monster, but—‘…Although, looking at my left arm, that’s not entirely accurate.

’While my left arm was far from human, this was much less severe than I’d anticipated.

As I continued examining myself, I looked over at Mageomhu.

She was watching me with a peculiar gaze.

Initially, her eyes were on my left arm, but now, she looked straight into my eyes.

Her gaze made me—“…”Unconsciously, I looked away.

I found myself brushing my hand over my face.

Looking at Mageomhu felt as if something was pressing down on my chest.

‘Damn it.

’Given the current situation, it was impossible to ignore.

Especially when recalling her actions toward me.

I couldn’t pretend anymore.

Looking back at Mageomhu, she was still staring at me with those enigmatic eyes.

Her gaze felt oddly uncomfortable.

I tried to keep my composure and spoke to her.

“You.

”The words came out naturally in informal speech.

Speaking to her now was far easier than back when I called her Vice Leader and used honorifics.

“…You know who I am, don’t you?

”I finally voiced the question that had been lingering.

From the moment I felt she was treating me differently, I suspected that she knew my identity.

It wasn’t merely a suspicion—I had a strong sense of it.

“…?

”Mageomhu tilted her head, looking at me as if she didn’t understand.

Had she not grasped my question?

Or—‘Does she truly not know?

’That possibility couldn’t be ruled out.

When I first arrived, my face had appeared different to her.

My martial arts were sealed, so there was no way for her to identify me.

The issue was—‘She just saw my flames.

’She had seen the flame that I had conjured myself.

Could she really be unaware?

Did my face still appear different now?

As doubt crept in, Mageomhu finally spoke.

“…What do you mean?

”She looked at me, genuinely confused by my question.

Was it better that way?

If she didn’t recognize me, maybe it was for the best.

Now, I only needed to understand why she was treating me so specially.

I decided to let it go.

Just as I was about to say something else—“No… forget what I just said….

”“Gu Yangcheon.

”Suddenly, I froze.

My eyes widened as I looked at Mageomhu.

Had she just called my name?

“…That…”“Your name.

”“…”She looked at me calmly as she spoke.

I stared at her in bewilderment.

“…No matter what happens…”Mageomhu continued in her usual tone.

“I….

”“I would never fail to recognize you.

”Her voice was filled with certainty.

How could she be so sure?

Those unwavering words were enough to stir my troubled heart.

“…How?

”I couldn’t understand it.

As always, I couldn’t comprehend her.

And I didn’t want to admit it.

“You…”I hated knowing the things I’d once been blind to.

Now, I understood how bitter it was to look at her, seeing the parts of her I hadn’t noticed before.

I was about to ask her something but kept stopping.

She looked exhausted, her body wounded and bleeding.

Trying to ignore that, I finally asked something else.

“Then why aren’t you surprised?

”“…?

”“Doesn’t it seem odd that there’s another me?

”There was already one of me in this world—a sight that annoyed me every time I looked at him, but he was undeniably me.

Yet here she was, aware of my identity, and showing no hint of surprise.

In response, Mageomhu only looked at me with her characteristic blue eyes.

“...

It’s curious.

”Her short answer seemed almost calm.

“Just curious?

”“Yes.

”“…”She wasn’t even intrigued, merely curious.

Somehow—“…That’s so you.

”Strangely, it was the most her answer possible.

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

Gently, her fingers touched my cheek once again.

This time, I didn’t flinch or pull away.

Though I could have blocked her, I chose not to.

“…In the world where you came from, was there someone like me?

”“Yes.

”It seemed obvious to her that I wasn’t from this world.

I didn’t deny it.

“What was she like?

”“Similar.

Just as slow and oblivious, with the same dull eyes as now.

”Mageomhu’s brows furrowed slightly at that.

Seeing her expression made my chest feel heavy.

“Yes, she always had eyes like that.

”This Mageomhu.

And the Namgung Bi-ah I knew.

They weren’t all that different.

So, why had I thought otherwise?

No, it wasn’t that I thought they were different.

It was that I’d hoped they would be.

Looking into her eyes, Mageomhu, still frowning, spoke.

“Do you look at the other me with these same eyes?

”“…What do you mean?

What kind of look?

”I didn’t understand, so I asked.

Her hand drifted away from my cheek, and she muttered quietly.

“I’m envious.

”The faint smile that accompanied her words stirred all kinds of emotions within me.

A feeling I’d rather not acknowledge.

What could I possibly say?

A few responses came to mind, but ultimately, I couldn’t say a word.

There were no words I could bring myself to utter.

After a moment of silence, I looked at her again.

“…For now…”Remembering that she wasn’t in great shape, I reached out.

It wasn’t safe for us to linger here.

For now, it was best to get her out of here.

Once we moved, I’d also have to examine my own body further.

I needed to understand the extent of the changes and find out if I was no longer human.

As I thought this, I reached out to help Mageomhu find a safe place when—Buzz—“What?

”Suddenly, I sensed something in the air.

Noticing the distinct disturbance, I turned my head.

Thud.

A crack appeared behind Mageomhu.

Riiip—!

The air tore open, leaving a shadow.

I immediately grabbed her and pulled her back.

This sudden phenomenon made me frown.

It was unmistakably the Magyeong Gate.

Without any prior warning, the Magyeong Gate had appeared.

I was just wondering why it had appeared when—Thud.

“…!

”A force tugged at me, and I felt myself pulled forward.

It was clear this force had every intention of dragging me through.

I pressed down hard with my feet, resisting as best I could.

There was no way I could allow myself to be pulled into the unknown.

But—‘Damn it.

’The force pulling me was unbelievably strong.

What the hell was this?

‘I didn’t want to use it before I confirmed, but…’Gritting my teeth, I knew I’d have to use my energy.

I still didn’t fully understand the changes in my middle dantian or the energy that flowed from it, so I wanted to avoid using it.

But at this rate, I’d be dragged into the Magyeong Gate if I didn’t, so I had no choice.

Whoosh—!

The energy pooled in my middle dantian began to vibrate, flowing through my blood vessels and filling my body.

Feeling the weight of this newfound power, I was taken aback.

‘It’s a lot stronger than expected.

’The amount of energy was overwhelming.

Though I wasn’t exactly sure, it felt about 30% stronger than before.

‘With this…’I wouldn’t be helpless in a fight.

I could confidently call myself a Haegyeong warrior.

‘But that’s not the focus right now.

’For now, I needed to get out of here, regardless of these changes.

Clench—!

Just as I tightened my grip on Mageomhu and prepared to escape the Magyeong Gate—Thud.

Roll.

Something fell from above, rolling to a stop in front of me.

What the…?

“…!!

”I was shocked by the sudden appearance, and so was Mageomhu.

She even clung to my shoulder, startled.

But I couldn’t blame her.

What had appeared was a severed head.

A human head, wrenched cleanly from its body, still wearing a despairing expression as if it hadn’t had time to react.

And then—‘Why is that…?

’I recognized the face.

The head belonged to none other than the Heavenly Lord.

The elder who had once killed me.

Namgung Bi-ah’s great-grandfather, one of the Three Sovereigns.

Shocked by the sight of the Heavenly Lord’s head rolling on the ground, I was only given a moment to process it.

“I had a hard time finding you.

”A voice followed, and my body froze.

It was a familiar voice—one I could never forget.

How could I ever forget the voice etched deep in my heart?

A pale hand appeared from nowhere, reaching toward the Magyeong Gate.

It was a woman’s hand, but it wasn’t Mageomhu’s.

Slender and graceful.

Her calm, delicate actions captivated my gaze.

The hand, elegant like a piece of fine jade, reached out and grabbed the Magyeong Gate, as if it were truly a door.

Crunch—!

She closed it effortlessly.

The intense friction and energy that burst forth didn’t faze her in the slightest.

Sss…In the face of this suffocating situation, everything resolved with unsettling ease.

Such was her existence.

A being powerful enough to treat a disaster like the Magyeong Gate as if it were a casual nuisance.

A monster whose very presence felt like an affront to reality.

Creaaaaak…The Magyeong Gate trembled, still not fully closed, and she held its edges with her hand, keeping it stable.

Despite what she was doing, there wasn’t even the slightest tremor in her hand.

In fact, she observed the gap she held with curious interest.

Her black hair, without any other hue, fluttered gracefully in the wind.

Watching her, I couldn’t utter a single word.

Finally, her gaze turned toward me.

As our eyes met, I felt like I might stop breathing.

It wasn’t anything overt.

It was fear.

The only emotion I felt looking at her was pure, unadulterated fear.

She smiled at me, her violet eyes curving gently.

Her expression was unreadable, her aura enigmatic.

I bit down on my trembling lips to stop them.

Why…Why was she here?

The woman, looking into my eyes, tilted her head slightly, her purple eyes more brilliant than any other demon’s.

The master of all demons, the sky of the Demonic Sect.

A being of unyielding strength.

She was known by many powerful names, but there was only one title that truly fit her.

"It’s good to see you.

"The demon brought down by the heavens.

Cheonma.

"Little Lord.

"Despair was smiling at me.