Childhood Friend of the Zenith-Chapter 532

The Blood Demon is a disaster.

Such was the truth. He possessed the ability to freely wield and command the spiritual artifacts bound to him.

Even imbuing one’s energy into such artifacts to subjugate them meant nothing before the Blood Demon. If the Blood Demon declared something to be true, there was no reason to find it strange.

Because he was a disaster.

As an existence beyond humanity, it wasn’t peculiar for him to wield such powers.

The problem, however, was that I could do the same.

I possessed a power akin to a disaster. This alone was enough to send my mind into a whirlwind of thoughts.

“Ha…”

A sigh escaped me without realizing.

“The Blood Demon was the same, you say?”

[...Yes.]

Just as I had used Gui Jeong and Noe-a, the Blood Demon wielded his own powers in the same manner.

Then, why was I only being told this now?

“Why are you telling me this only now?”

[...]

“This seems like something you’ve known for a while… Am I wrong?”

[...That’s true.]

If Shin Noya had understood the changes that occurred when Gui Jeong came to me, he could have said something earlier.

Yet here he was, only now telling me this.

Why was that?

And why had he stopped Namgung Myung from saying it and instead decided to speak with me privately?

[The reason is…]

“Was it because you didn’t trust me?”

[...!]

“Is that why you withheld this information?”

The bluntness in my voice startled even me. But if Shin Noya hadn’t told me, that could only be the reason.

Because he didn’t trust me.

It wasn’t because I might truly be a disaster and cause some great calamity.

No, it was because…

“Were you worried I wouldn’t be able to handle it?”

[...]

The silence spoke volumes. Shin Noya must have feared that the weight of this revelation would crush me. That I wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

[...Kid...]

“I understand your reasoning, Noya.”

This grouchy old man, who had always been so gruff, was suddenly acting considerate. And ironically, that only made things harder for me.

“But this kind of thing won’t break me.”

I had thought about it long ago.

No matter how sensitive or enraged I might feel about this revelation, I wasn’t going to fall apart over something so trivial.

I had come too far to let it destroy me.

There were too many people I had to protect and a path I still needed to walk.

I couldn’t collapse here.

“…Even if I truly am a disaster, I have no intention of breaking down.”

Even if my body was changing. Even if I could do what the Blood Demon had done.

Even if, as Yeon Ga had claimed, I truly was a disaster.

“…I won’t falter.”

The words weren’t just for Shin Noya. They were for myself—a vow that I wouldn’t crumble here.

I had no intention of stopping.

So while I appreciated Shin Noya’s concern, I considered it unnecessary.

If anything, I needed to hear the truth.

Only by hearing it could I prepare to face it.

[...The reason I didn’t tell you wasn’t because I didn’t trust you.]

At last, Shin Noya began to explain.

[With everything piling up, and you already struggling to stabilize your body and energy, how could I burden you with something like this?]

Hearing the reasoning, I could understand it.

Still, if it involved the Blood Demon, he should have told me. Right now, it felt like nothing more than an excuse.

“Then why are you telling me now?”

[...I intended to wait longer, but that damned fool had to bring it up, leaving me no choice.]

In other words, it was because Namgung Myung had abruptly mentioned the Blood Demon, forcing his hand.

“Regardless of the timing, doesn’t this mean you see a connection as well?”

[...]

Shin Noya didn’t deny it.

If even I could see it, how could Shin Noya not?

‘Is it an issue caused by absorbing the Blood Demon’s energy?’

At first, that’s what I thought. But now, I wasn’t so sure.

When my vessel was on the verge of breaking from the sheer energy I consumed, I had battled and absorbed the Blood Demon’s energy, leading to these changes.

But if that was the case…

‘Father’s words bother me.’

I couldn’t shake off what Father had said.

The way he had looked at my altered body and recalled my mother.

‘…So Mother was the same?’

I was still far from understanding my body’s transformations.

But if my mother had shared similar traits…

Could these changes in me be attributed not to absorbing the Blood Demon’s energy but to my mother’s bloodline?

‘She was called a disaster as well.’

If that were true, then what about Gu Ryeonghwa?

‘Could she turn out the same?’

I thought of my younger sister, currently undergoing harsh training at Mount Hua.

Could Gu Ryeonghwa end up like this?

I didn’t want that, and I didn’t think it would happen.

These changes were the result of my own excesses in this lifetime.

A normal vessel wouldn’t break unless overwhelmed by extraordinary energy.

But my body was different. It was this insane constitution of mine that caused this mess. Yet one question lingered.

‘Was my ability to absorb multiple energies really due to the Demonic Celestial Absorption Technique?’

Lately, I’d started to doubt that assumption.

Of course, it made sense to believe it was the technique. What else could it be?

But what if my body had always been capable of this?

‘…In my previous life, I never considered trying to absorb other energies.’

Who would even think to do such a reckless thing unless they had a death wish?

Different inner techniques clashed when combined in a single body, causing one’s energy to explode and resulting in death.

That’s precisely why the Demonic Celestial Absorption Technique was so highly regarded.

It allowed any energy to coexist within the body.

The powers bestowed by the Heavenly Demon were extraordinary, and the potential of demonic energy was astounding.

That’s why power-hungry individuals flocked to the Demonic Cult.

‘But what if it wasn’t the technique?’

What if my ability to absorb multiple energies wasn’t due to the technique but because my body had always been that way?

‘...’

If this wasn’t the power of the Heavenly Demon but rather something inherited from my mother…

‘Then Gu Ryeonghwa might be capable of it too.’

She might be able to do it as well. If that were the case, it would be a truly dreadful revelation.

Because if so, every event in my life seemed to be telling me one thing.

‘I was destined to be a disaster from the start. That’s how it feels.’

There were many ways to confirm this.

I could visit Gu Ryeonghwa and try implanting another energy in her body to see if she could sustain it. That would be the quickest way.

But how could I even attempt such madness?

If it failed, her body could rupture and die.

I couldn’t do something like that to her just to confirm a suspicion.

‘It’s better to accept myself as the disaster.’

That seemed like the preferable conclusion.

And as I pondered this, a memory of Yeon Ilcheon’s words flashed through my mind:

—The world does not make the same mistake twice.

When the master of this world vanished, the Blood Demon’s plans failed.

To prevent future resistance from martial artists, the world lowered their power.

In the meantime, my mother was sent to end it all, but that, too, ultimately failed.

That was how I saw it.

"Perhaps."

Perhaps it was never what I thought in the first place.

If the world is moving countless possibilities toward a singular purpose, then perhaps what it seeks isn’t what I imagined.

What, then, does it desire?

“Does it wish for me to truly become a disaster?”

From where I stand now, that seems to be the most probable answer. Whatever the reasons may be for wanting me to become a disaster…

I’ve already ceased to be merely human and turned into something else. All the arrows pointing in different directions now seem to converge onto one single path.

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The world wants me to become a disaster.

Just as this thought seemed to align perfectly, another contradiction arose.

“Then what is the Heavenly Demon?”

What exactly is the Heavenly Demon?

What was the reason she sent me back?

Who is she, truly?

And more importantly…

“Why didn’t the world strip away all possibilities?”

According to Tang Jemoon’s information passed to Noya, the limitations of martial artists were lowered.

But why didn’t the world take everything away? Why only lower it?

No matter how much I pondered, the answer eluded me.

“What is it thinking?”

Paths stretched endlessly before me—countless, branching routes, whether of my will or not.

These paths, vast in number and with no visible end, gave me an uncanny sense.

That all these paths, despite their variety, seemed to lead toward the same destination.

“The problem is, that destination is unclear.”

Damn it…

It became obvious what I needed to do first to find the answer.

“I have to meet Mother.”

I needed to find my mother, who was supposedly somewhere within the Magyeong Gate.

Only by meeting her could I begin to understand the truth behind what was happening to me.

As I finally pieced my thoughts together…

[Kid.]

“…Yes.”

[You are not a disaster.]

“Hah.”

Shin Noya’s abrupt declaration drew a dry laugh from me.

“After coming this far, do you still think I’m not a disaster?”

I had to wonder if even Shin Noya doubted his own words.

Perhaps he regretted having encountered a successor who might be a disaster.

‘No, that doesn’t seem like him.’

Knowing Noya’s personality, that didn’t quite fit. But I was sure his mind was just as tangled as mine.

As I tried to muster a faint smile, Noya spoke again.

[Didn’t I tell you before?]

I was stunned into silence.

[All you need to do is believe in yourself.]

“…!”

[Even if you truly are a disaster, if you believe otherwise, then you are not.]

“That sounds like you’re just ignoring reality.”

[So what if I am? If I say you’re not, then you’re not.]

What a remarkably simple answer.

No matter what anyone else said, if I denied it, that was enough.

It was a statement that revealed how Noya had upheld his convictions throughout his life.

But could I live like that?

[You can.]

The answer came not from me but from Noya, resolute and firm.

[You can do it.]

His words carried a weight that pressed down on me. Was it because of his faith in me? Or because of the guilt I felt for knowing even a fraction of the life he’d endured?

“How are you so sure? That I can do it?”

[Why wouldn’t I be? That’s the kind of person you are.]

“...”

It was an odd feeling, to have someone so confident in me when I wasn’t confident in myself.

Perhaps Noya had known from the beginning.

That I might be a disaster.

And yet, it didn’t matter to him.

Maybe he thought, “If it’s him, he won’t accept it.”

If that’s the case…

“That’s just unfair.”

It left no room for me to choose otherwise.

There’s nothing more detestable than betraying someone who believes in you.

I let out a dry laugh as I spoke, and Noya responded bluntly.

[Then go ahead and become a disaster if you hate it so much.]

“…What?”

[If you don’t like it, then be one. What else can you do?]

True to form, Noya always managed to undercut the seriousness of a conversation. He never left a heavy topic unresolved without lightening it somehow.

But I knew this was his way of showing care.

Knowing that, I couldn’t bring myself to argue further.

“…Well, I’ll try my best. Just don’t expect too much.”

[I wasn’t expecting much to begin with, so don’t worry. It’s not like I have anyone better to rely on.]

This old ghost… He couldn’t resist taking a jab even now.

“You’re lucky you’re a ghost, you know that?”

[That’s my line. If we met in person, you wouldn’t even dare talk to me.]

As much as I hated to admit it, he was probably right.

But that was irrelevant now—we couldn’t meet anyway.

If it turned out that I truly was a disaster, well…

“I’ll just let them come and try their luck. What else can I do?”

I wasn’t the type to obediently shoulder burdens I despised.

Force something on me, and I’ll bite back—that’s just who I am.

‘Whoever might be listening, I hope you get the message: go to hell.’

I thought this to myself, not caring who it was aimed at. If someone could hear it, they’d understand my intent.

My head felt drained.

After all the thinking, my body and mind seemed to have reached their limit.

“…Skipping sleep for a few days does this, huh.”

For a body as advanced as mine, this level of fatigue was severe.

Fine. Enough thinking. Let’s just get some rest.

I forced myself to lie down and shut my eyes.

A good hour’s nap should do the trick.

Exactly one hour later, I awoke to a shocking sight.

“Ah, crap!”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I had to stifle a curse.

In the dimly lit room, I wasn’t alone.

I wasn’t sure who it was at first—maybe an assassin?

It turned out I was right.

An assassin had come for me.

Not just any assassin, but the most infamous one in Zhongyuan.

“…”

“…What are you doing here?”

I asked, because how could I not?

The person before me was none other than the King of the Night, the leader of the Cheolya Assassination Squad, the most feared assassin in Zhongyuan.

The Amwang (Shadow King) knelt before me.

“…Hmm.”

He tilted his head slightly, as if pondering my question, then spoke.

“It’s more comfortable this way.”

“…?”

What on earth did that mean?