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Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter CH.1134: The World of Ascension (64)
Chapter CH.1134: The World of Ascension (64)
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Sssssss—!
The moon vanished from the blackened sky.
The last remnants of light crumbled, and shadows descended upon the cold forest.
Darkness arrived.
Ominous. Discomforting. Unfathomably deep.
Namgung Hyung felt it seep into his bones, and without realizing it, he swallowed dryly.
"Descendant."
Noe-a’s voice echoed in his mind.
His body, which had been frozen stiff, finally loosened slightly.
"Guhk...!"
The breath that had been trapped in his throat burst free.
"Hahh... Hahh...!"
His body clenched up on its own.
It felt like something was pressing against his chest, stopping his lungs from taking in air.
Cold sweat poured from every pore, drenching his skin.
"What is this?"
What... was this?
With trembling eyes, Namgung Hyung looked ahead.
Crackle...
A man in black robes, gripping the lightning in his hand.
Long, flowing hair.
A towering frame, nearly eight feet tall.
And without hesitation, he crushed the lightning in his grip.
"...Hah."
That lightning—
It wasn’t just any lightning.
It was the lightning of Heavenly Lord, the Namgung Patriarch, the undisputed ruler of Anhui.
His grandfather—
A man who, if he so desired, could wipe Namgung from the face of the earth on his own.
And yet, this man had just ripped apart that very lightning.
With his bare hands.
"...Who is he?"
His vision trembled, and though he had regained control of his breathing, his thoughts still felt sluggish.
This sensation—
"...Why is it stronger than when I faced my grandfather?"
When he had stood before Heavenly Lord, he had felt fear.
But right now, standing behind this man—
He felt something even stronger.
A void—a presence that felt like nothing, yet paradoxically revealed everything.
As if night itself had taken human form.
That was what Namgung Hyung felt as he looked at this man.
"Cheonma.."
Heavenly Lord whispered, repeating the name.
Then, he let out a soft chuckle.
"I've heard of you. They said a great master appeared recently. So, it was you?"
The man did not answer.
But Namgung Hyung finally realized who he was.
Because he had heard the rumors too.
"A monstrous master appeared and annihilated White-Rank beasts and the creatures of Magyeong."
During a catastrophe known as White-Rank Magyeong Gate,
A mysterious absolute being had appeared, massacred the monsters in an instant—
And vanished without a trace.
His overwhelming power had been shrouded in secrecy, but whispers had spread.
A being on the level of the Three Masters.
"And that master..."
Was standing right in front of him.
At that moment—
"Descendant."
Noe-a called out to him once more.
"Run."
For once, its voice trembled.
Namgung Hyung’s eyes widened.
"Run?"
Had Noe-a just told him to run?
"Get as far away from that thing as possible."
"That thing?"
Namgung Hyung didn’t need to ask.
He knew exactly what Noe-a meant.
The man called Cheonma.
Noe-a was telling him to run from him.
"Why?"
Why?
He wanted to ask, but deep down, he already knew the answer.
Because his instincts—
His very soul—
Was screaming the same thing.
Every organ in his body, every drop of energy in his core—
They all screamed.
"Run from that cursed thing."
They begged him to run.
And yet—
Clench.
"...Guh."
Namgung Hyung did not run.
Or rather—he could not.
Every rational thought told him to flee.
Every instinct demanded he escape.
But for some reason—
Something minuscule.
Something so insignificant that it wasn’t even the size of a speck of dust—
It tripped him.
A tiny voice whispered.
"Don’t go."
"Don’t leave this place."
Just as that faint hesitation held him back—
Sssk.
"...!"
The white-masked man—Cheonma—turned slightly.
His violet eyes met Namgung Hyung’s.
And in that instant—
"Ah—."
Something—something inexplicable—seized Namgung Hyung’s body.
*******
Inside the Mask
"What the hell is wrong with him?"
Behind the mask, the man frowned.
Namgung Hyung was just standing there, dazed.
"Why the hell is he making that face?"
It was unsettling.
Absolutely disgusting to look at.
"I came all this way to save his sorry ass, and he just stands there like a fool?"
Why wasn’t he running?
Why was he wasting the time I bought him?
"Damn it."
His whole body ached.
The energy he had burned through earlier hadn’t fully recovered.
His body—this damned body—healed fast, but not instantly.
Given a few days, he would be fine.
"But right now, I’m not."
He couldn't afford this delay.
In times like these, he almost missed Mangye.
Back there, just breathing was enough to replenish his energy in an instant.
"Tsk."
Clicking his tongue, he shifted his stance.
And then—
"You called yourself Cheonma."
The old monster of Namgung—Heavenly Lord—spoke.
"What exactly are you?"
"What am I?"
He tilted his head.
That damn Namgung brat had distracted him for a second.
"You heard me, didn’t you?"
"Hmph?"
Pointing a finger toward the sky, he spoke.
"I am the Heavens. Nothing more, nothing less."
"...Hah."
Heavenly Lord chuckled lowly.
And then—
Crackle.
The lightning around him surged.
"The Heavens, you say? So that’s why you call yourself Cheonma. A demon sent by the sky? How arrogant."
KUUUUUUUUURRRR—!!!
Beyond the Black Sky, a burst of light flashed.
Lightning coiled in the heavens, as if the sky itself raged at his words.
"And yet you dare to say that in front of me?"
Heavenly Lord.
A man who had touched the Heavens—not with a sword, but with his very body.
No one had ever dared to call themselves the Heavens before him.
And now, before his very eyes, someone did.
It disgusted him.
"Enough. I no longer care who you are."
CRACK—!!!
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The Black Sky shattered.
Lightning surged through the heavens.
"Damn."
A breath of admiration escaped him.
As expected, when it came to raw firepower, the Heavenly Lord was the strongest among the Three Masters.
Even just the sheer aura he emitted held such immense weight.
"...The Three Masters."
Three Masters (三尊).
The Transcendents above the Heavens, the absolute peak of martial artists.
For the first time, he was truly witnessing their presence in its entirety.
Perhaps it was because he had also reached transcendence—
He was now seeing things he had never been able to perceive before.
"No wonder they call him a monster."
How could something like that be human?
Suppressing a bitter laugh, he muttered,
"It doesn’t matter what you are. In the end—"
KUUUUUURRR—!!!
The sky split open as lightning rained down upon the Heavenly Lord.
"I just have to find out."
"......"
Faced with that overwhelming force, he tilted his head slightly.
PING—!
A piercing sound tore through the air.
Or rather—light came first.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
An explosion erupted from behind. The shockwave alone created a massive force of pressure.
The Heavenly Lord had unleashed his lightning.
"Ah, damn."
This was going to be a pain.
He bit his lip, trying to gauge the power difference.
Could he win?
He wasn’t sure.
To be honest, he wasn’t confident at all.
Even though he had stepped into transcendence, the time spent at the peak mattered.
And he was far behind in that regard.
Could he defend against all of this and still win?
He didn’t know.
"So hurry up and run already—so I can run too!"
He was waiting for Namgung Hyung to escape, but for some reason, the idiot wasn’t moving.
Instead—
The brat was watching him.
Watching him with eyes filled with anticipation.
"Damn it."
"Like master, like disciple."
He had always wondered why Wu Hyuk had turned out the way he did.
Now, he was certain.
It was because of this bastard.
They acted exactly the same.
"Tch."
Shaking the thought aside, he refocused.
KRRRRRMMMBLE—!!
Lightning streaked down like vines—
A cascade of thousands of bolts flashing toward him.
Each arc of lightning traced a perfect path.
The sound of his coat whipping in the wind followed.
VWOOOOOM—!
VWOOOOOM—!!
The sound wasn’t one of a sword swinging.
It was the wail of something far deadlier.
A single touch—and he would be torn apart.
"First—"
He needed to analyze.
Dodge, narrow the distance.
SWISH—!
THUD.
Evading another strike, he kicked off the ground, closing in.
The Heavenly Lord’s piercing blue eyes followed his movements.
KIIIIIIIIII—!!!
Lightning twisted unnaturally, converging upon him like sentient fangs.
Tens.
Hundreds.
A symphony of electric death.
Lightning Will of Heaven.
A technique only Heavenly Lord could wield.
The sheer power of the Namgung Clan’s Thunder Arts—
Unleashed at its fullest.
The forest itself was being engulfed.
"Ha."
Had he wanted him to get closer?
Or was it that even at close range, it wouldn’t matter?
BOOOOOOM—!!!
Lightning transformed into a downpour.
A thunderstorm manifested as spears.
"No doubt about it."
The moment he saw it, he knew.
"I can’t fight this head-on."
Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance alone—
Wouldn’t be enough.
His mind was made up instantly.
THUMP—!!
His heart pounded.
Power surged through his body.
Rings of black flame encircled him—
Sparks erupted as he shaped them into a sphere.
Flame Jade Meteor Bullet.
A compacted obsidian fireball—
Shot directly into the storm of lightning.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!!!
Countless explosions rippled through the air—
Electricity detonated like fireworks.
"......!"
The Heavenly Lord’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t expected it.
Had he not believed anything could block his lightning?
Narrowing his gaze, he observed.
"As I thought."
That nagging feeling in the back of his mind—
It was right.
Without hesitation—
He launched himself forward.
Closing the gap—
Straight toward the stunned Heavenly Lord.
"...Hah."
The old man was about to react—
But he moved first.
Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance, Third Form.
Tua Impact Strike.
A single blow at absurd speed.
Straight into the Heavenly Lord’s chest.
BOOOOOOOM—!!!
CRASH—!!!!
"Guh...!"
The Heavenly Lord was sent flying—
Smashing through trees.
Through the earth itself.
Breaking through the landscape like an arrow—
Before finally—
BOOOOOOM—!!!
A massive explosion erupted far away.
Dust and debris swelled into the sky.
And as he gazed at the wreckage—
A realization settled in his mind.
"I was right."
Watching the Heavenly Lord struggle—
The truth was clear.
"I can win."
A certainty filled him.
He could defeat the Heavenly Lord.
