Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Kwooooom—!!!

Kwoooom!!!

The Flame Spear that soared into the sky exploded, its shockwave scattering traces of blue flames like rain.

Crackle.

The embers that fell to the ground left trails of ash in their wake.

“Ahhh!

”“Get back!

”The martial artists below scrambled in panic, trying to avoid the falling flames.

Normally, I would have controlled it to prevent such a scene, but this time I didn’t.

My focus was entirely on the opponent in front of me.

‘The Division Leader of the Celestial Dragon.

’A masked figure gripping a sword.

Their martial robe bore golden embroidery, the mark of the Celestial Dragon Division.

And yet…‘What is this?

’I couldn’t sense anything from them.

Standing between the Sword Emperor and me, having blocked both our martial arts simultaneously, they emitted no detectable energy.

The only thing I could feel…‘Unpleasant.

’A faint sense of discomfort brushed against me, prickling my senses.

It wasn’t the first time.

I’d felt it when we first crossed paths.

‘Though it’s weaker now.

’The oppressive presence I’d associated with the Blood Demon back then was now subdued.

‘…Even the trace of the Blood Demon’s aura has faded.

’The cursed sensation that had once assured me of their connection to the Blood Demon was now nearly imperceptible.

All that remained was this faint unease and an unsettling emptiness.

“What are you?

”I scowled as I questioned them, but the Division Leader of the Celestial Dragon didn’t respond.

Their index finger rested lightly against the sword, which glowed faintly.

‘Should I use White Flame?

’Would White Flame work on them?

If they were still connected to the Blood Demon, maybe it wouldn’t.

As the thought crossed my mind, I scanned my surroundings.

There were too many eyes on us to act recklessly.

In that case…‘Should I just kill everyone watching?

’If I eliminated all witnesses, it wouldn’t matter.

The thought flitted through my mind briefly.

‘Tch.

’But I held back.

I couldn’t go that far.

Click.

The flame at my fingertip extinguished.

I focused my gaze back on the Division Leader.

“I asked you a question.

What are you?

”“...

”Shlink—!

Clack.

The sword in their hand spun once before sliding neatly into its scabbard.

Golden energy lingered in the air, radiating faintly from the sword.

‘What is this?

’It felt oddly familiar.

At first, the golden hue reminded me of Wi Seol-ah’s aura, but…‘No.

’The essence was entirely different.

Only the color was similar.

The structure of the energy, the martial arts technique forming it, was fundamentally distinct.

“Division Leader of the Celestial Dragon.

”The Sword Emperor broke the silence, speaking from behind.

Despite his earlier attack being casually blocked, his expression remained composed.

“Your presence here, does it mean…?

”He trailed off as his gaze shifted toward a specific direction.

My own eyes followed instinctively.

“Cough.

”A faint cough and the sound of movement caught my attention.

‘Ha.

’The figure that appeared was none other than Muk Yeon.

Seeing him, I let out a frustrated sigh internally.

‘I didn’t sense him.

’I had only noticed Muk Yeon’s presence now, as he revealed himself.

This was a serious issue.

‘Muk Yeon has no internal energy.

’He did, technically, but it was almost negligible—closer to an ordinary person than a martial artist.

To realize his presence only when he was this close meant…‘Someone was masking Muk Yeon’s presence.

’And that someone was almost certainly the Division Leader of the Celestial Dragon standing before me.

‘Even while concealing another’s presence, they blocked our attacks…?

’Masking someone’s energy was an incredibly delicate task.

It required precision to handle another’s Qi, and only a rare few could maintain such control while engaging in combat.

‘If it were me…’I could manage it.

It wasn’t impossible in theory.

But to fend off that strike under such conditions?

‘It’s uncertain.

’I wasn’t sure I could pull it off.

Maybe, maybe not—it was hard to say.

‘But that bastard did it.

’What was their true identity?

Even when I tried to sense their energy, the mask blocked any clear view.

‘Is it similar to the one the Shadow King gave me?

’It was a strong possibility.

“…You should stop now.

”Muk Yeon’s voice interrupted my thoughts, making me smirk.

“Stop now?

”“Star King.

”“Stop what?

I’ve been working myself to the bone in Sichuan for this damn Alliance, and now I hear my father’s been imprisoned.

What exactly am I supposed to stop?

”“Do you think this is what the Gu family head would want?

”“This isn’t about what my father wants.

”Wheeeeng.

Flames flared in my hand, forming the Flame Spear again in an instant.

“This is about what I want.

”“So you mean to oppose not just the Sword Emperor, but the Martial Alliance as well?

”“If that’s what it takes, then yes.

”“…That is not a wise decision.

Surely, the Star King knows this?

”“A man can’t always make wise decisions.

Today just happens to be one of those days for me.

”Clack.

The sound of weapons being drawn echoed.

Both the Sword Emperor and the Division Leader of the Celestial Dragon were gripping their hilts.

One step.

Just one more step, and this would escalate into an all-out battle.

What would the gain be?

Was victory even possible?

‘There’s no gain.

’Nor was victory guaranteed.

The fight with the Sword Emperor had made one thing clear.

‘I won’t lose.

’I might not win decisively, but I wouldn’t be defeated easily.

If I unleashed everything I had, I might even win.

Unless the Sword Emperor had a hidden trump card.

The real problem was…‘That guy.

’The Division Leader of the Celestial Dragon and the martial artists of the Alliance.

Could I take them all on at once and win?

Of course not.

‘It’s too much for now.

’Even if I used Dragon Speech or unleashed overwhelming power, it was too dangerous.

In other words, retreating was the smart move.

“So don’t push me any further.

”But I had no intention of lowering my head.

“...

”Muk Yeon’s expression was difficult to read as he looked at me.

It wasn’t quite anger, nor was it sadness—it was something in between.

What kind of expression was that?

The question crossed my mind briefly, but…“The Gu family head was imprisoned for a reason.

”“I’ve heard the rumors.

”There was no escaping the talk—it was everywhere.

“The Gu family head’s imprisonment was a just consequence.

A trial will be held soon.

”A just consequence.

It sounded reasonable.

If he had indeed stormed the Alliance and tried to kill a tactician, imprisonment was only natural.

“Well, I’m not so sure about that.

”I couldn’t believe it completely.

“So let me ask you something.

”I looked Muk Yeon in the eye.

“Why did he do it?

Tell me that first.

”“...

”I hadn’t heard why my father had acted that way.

When I asked, Muk Yeon’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Isn’t that the most important question?

I care far more about why my father did what he did than the fact that he’s currently imprisoned as a criminal.

”There was no way my father had attacked Muk Yeon without a reason.

Moreover—‘There’s no chance he just let himself be captured.

’I couldn’t understand why he had quietly entered the prison in the first place.

“Unless that part is resolved—”Fwoooosh—!!!

Flames surged around me, and the rings of my heart spun rapidly.

“I won’t back down from this.

”Even if it meant derailing my plans, I had no intention of retreating.

With that resolve, I began to draw more energy, raising my aura.

“…Star King.

”Muk Yeon frowned as he looked at me.

Just as he seemed about to say something—Fwoosh!

“…!

”Suddenly, a flame erupted before my eyes.

It wasn’t my blue flame but a vivid crimson blaze.

“This is…”There was no mistaking it.

My heart recognized it the moment I saw it.

This was the Gu Flames Firewheel.

Judging by its texture and intensity, only one person could have conjured it.

‘Father?

’It was unmistakably my father’s flame.

As soon as I realized it, a voice echoed.

“It’s all right.

”My eyes widened.

‘Where is he?

’It wasn’t a telepathic transmission.

The voice came from within the flame.

How was his voice contained in the fire?

If he could manage this, it meant his Qi wasn’t completely suppressed.

So why hadn’t he escaped?

I couldn’t understand.

The energy felt distant, far away.

Yet the voice and flame were so vivid.

“It’s all right.

Return.

”The heavy voice made me scowl.

“What’s ‘all right’ supposed to mean?

”I wanted to ask why he had let himself be imprisoned, but—“Take care of Horan.

”“...

”“I’m asking you.

”At those words, I clamped my mouth shut.

Horan.

This was the first time I had heard my father refer to Lady Mi by her name.

And he was asking me?

‘This is absurd.

’I ran a hand through my hair, torn between frustration and disbelief.

Part of me wanted to destroy everything and throw a tantrum, but the consequences would be severe—not to mention my father’s words weighed heavily on my mind.

‘Does he have a reason for this?

’Sending this flame to deliver his message meant there had to be a clear reason for his actions.

Still, under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have cared.

But now—‘Why are you doing something you never do?

’Hearing my father mention Lady Mi made me curse internally.

If this was what he called a “request,” what was I supposed to do with it?

‘If he could’ve done this before, why didn’t he?

’If he was capable of this, he should have done it long ago.

That petty thought crossed my mind briefly.

No, that’s not right.

‘This isn’t something I should say.

’Memories of my father surfaced—his hesitant steps, unable to approach me as I cried, only to turn away in the end.

“Tch.

”Clicking my tongue, I waved my hand.

Fwoosh!

The Flame Spear disappeared, and the aura radiating from my body subsided in an instant.

Clink.

Seeing this, the Division Leader of the Celestial Dragon released their grip on their sword.

I looked at Muk Yeon silently.

Meeting the old man’s gaze briefly, I turned my back.

“I came in a hurry and didn’t bring anything with me.

I’ll submit my report later.

”“...

”“I’ll return tomorrow for a detailed explanation.

Please make it thorough enough for me to understand.

”With that, I pushed off the ground and leaped away.

*****************The moment Gu Yangcheon disappeared, the Sword Emperor turned to Muk Yeon with a question.

“…Tactician Muk.

Why didn’t you stop him?

”His face was filled with confusion.

Muk Yeon raised a dry hand to cover his eyes before responding.

“There was no justification to detain him.

”No justification?

The Sword Emperor couldn’t believe it.

“The Star King attacked the Martial Alliance and caused a disturbance.

What more justification could you need?

”“If I had stopped him, I would’ve had to provide answers in return.

”“Answers?

What kind of answers?

”“I would have had to tell him something.

But I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

”Muk Yeon’s tired voice carried a faint trace of guilt.

Hearing this, the Sword Emperor understood.

The “justification” Muk Yeon referred to wasn’t one held by the Alliance but a personal one.

“I will take full responsibility for the Star King’s actions.

He said he’ll return tomorrow, so if you intend to hold him accountable, let’s address it then.

”“...

”The Sword Emperor didn’t seem pleased but didn’t press the matter further.

And then—“I trust you’ll agree as well.

”Muk Yeon directed his words to the Division Leader of the Celestial Dragon beside him.

The masked figure glanced at Muk Yeon briefly before—Fwoooosh!

—vanishing into a burst of golden light.

“...

”Watching them disappear, Muk Yeon let out a soft sigh.

A sigh that was deep and cold.

*****************I headed straight for Lady Mi’s quarters.

It was partly due to my father’s request, but also to hear the situation directly.

Driven by urgency, I pushed past the guards and entered her residence without hesitation.

“Hey, wa—!

”The guards belatedly noticed me, but by the time they reacted, I was already inside.

“Lady Mi.

Are you here?

”Catching my breath slightly, I called her name outside her door.

From within, I sensed movement.

Creak.

The door opened, and Lady Mi appeared.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw me.

“…How did you get here?

”“I came immediately after reading the letter you sent me.

I just left the Martial Alliance.

”“What?

”Her expression shifted dramatically at my words.

I assumed she was shocked that I’d come so quickly after receiving her letter.

But then—“Now, please explain the situation—”“What letter are you talking about?

I never sent you one.

”“…What?

”“The letter I sent was only a few days ago.

It couldn’t have reached you already.

”At her words, I felt a cold chill run down my spine.