Childhood Friend of the Zenith
Chapter 267: Winter Is Coming (1)

My Dantian, now empty, still felt like a void. My body was extremely exhausted, not just from the Demonic Qi but from the loss of most of my Qi.

I felt this way even with a body that didn’t feel exhausted even if I released endless flames, so this meant that transforming someone into a Demonic Human demanded immense energy.

I pondered this while feeling the damp air of summer.

Should I have killed him?

I asked myself if I should have killed Namgung Cheonjun.

Honestly, it might have been better.

It wasn’t a regret, just a question.

How would I have cleaned up the mess after his death? How would I explain everything?

Putting aside those questions, I wondered if it would have been better to kill him instead.

Though I ended up corrupting him.

I put Demonic Qi into Namgung Cheonjun’s body deep inside his Dantian, and it began to spread and smear into his body.

This process wasn’t much different from when he absorbed Blood Qi or when the Heavenly Demon transformed people into Demonic Humans in my past life.

The problem is,

…is that I was capable of doing such a thing.

Just why?

I repeatedly opened and closed my hand, but I couldn’t grasp the feeling.

The only explanation was that it all happened naturally.

It’s weird enough that I regressed with Demonic Arts to begin with.

My body after regression was definitely different from a Demonic Human’s, and I certainly wasn’t one right now.

The Qi flowing inside me was Taoist Qi from Mount Hua’s treasure, with my Demonic Qi stored in a corner of my Dantian. It was hard to call myself a Demonic Human.

Despite this, I was able to use Demonic Qi freely and with full control, which was strange.

For example, it felt as if my Demonic Arts were enhancing in a way that made it easier for me to use.

It seemed like it was complimenting my body’s growth.

This felt like someone was pushing me from behind.

As if urging me to become the Heavenly Demon.

What nonsense.

It really was nonsense.

Everything happening right now was.

It was easy to silence Namgung Cheonjun’s from now on.

He won’t die as long as I tell him not to, and he won’t speak out if that was my command.

He was no different from a servant now.

If I ordered Namgung Cheonjun to die right now, he would kill himself, either by biting his tongue or choking himself to death.

That’s what the contract of Demonic Qi was like.

To be precise, that was the relationship between the Heavenly Demon and Demonic Humans.

The problem is,

Just like the Demonic Humans that the Heavenly Demon made, there was a chance that Namgung Cheonjun succumbed to madness due to Demonic Qi.

To prevent that, I gave him a few orders.

-Prohibit himself from killing.

-Refrain from using killing intent.

-Do not interfere with me.

-Slap himself on the cheek every morning.

Stuff like that.

I ordered him many things including him blocking his mouth, and it thankfully seemed like he listened to all of them.

I guess there is no need for a Shackle.

The Heavenly Demon had placed a Shackle on me and other Demonic Humans, a device that would explode in our hearts if we betrayed the Demonic Cult.

But it seemed like there was no need for me to use such a thing on Namgung Cheonjun as he seemed to be listening to everything.

Did the Heavenly Demon use such a Shackle because it gave more control of power?

Or was it because controlling the growing number of Demonic Humans with words alone wasn’t enough?

If that wasn’t the case…

Perhaps, there was another reason for using a shackle.

I don’t understand its purpose.

Why did the Heavenly Demon do such a thing?

I was very curious.

The difference is,

I realized that I could corrupt others into becoming Demonic Humans, but I wasn’t able to bestow any authority like the Heavenly Demon.

I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or fearful that I might one day gain the ability to do such a thing.

If I had to choose, it would be the latter.

First… I need to figure out what to do with Namgung Cheonjun.

Besides the fact that I turned him into a Demonic Human, I was thinking of ways to use him.

I tried to get some information out of him.

I originally planned to extract information by asking how he gained such power, but Namgung Cheonjun responded like this:

-…I’m not sure if I remem… No, I don’t remember.

“What a useless bastard…”

Namgung Cheonjun just looked like a dumbass as if he lost his memories.

He wouldn’t be able to lie, which means he’s speaking the truth.

Does that mean Namgung Cheonjun lost his memories regarding Blood Qi when I absorbed all of it?

However,

…That didn’t happen back in the tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes, so is it because he became a Demonic Human?

That was likely the case. I absorbed his Qi back then, but his memories remained, unlike now.

Even so, could this really corrupt his memories?

Well, yeah it probably is. Which is why it happened, for fucks sake.

I traveled through time, so nothing was impossible.

I already knew that there were a ton of monsters in the world after all.

“Sigh.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like I could easily gather information…

Then,

What should I do?

Namgung Cheonjun’s life was in my hands.

He could only escape my grasp by killing himself, with no other options.

I also kindly didn’t tell him not to kill himself, so that was his decision to make.

It becomes easier if he kills himself.

If not, then it gave me the chance to see what happens to the Demonic Human formed through my Demonic Qi, so it was worth watching him for a bit.

Afterwards,

If I feel that I’ve seen enough,

I’ll get rid of him.

I had no intention of letting him live in the first place.

I let him live for now because I wanted to check one thing.

That was all the value he had.

One thing concerned me though.

Would she be sad?

It was only Namgung Bi-ah.

Would Namgung Bi-ah be sad about Namgung Cheonjun’s death?

That was my only hesitation in all of this.

Because I wouldn’t be fine if I heard that Gu Ryunghwa died.

In my past life, I burned all of Mount Hua down for that exact reason.

…

I put aside my thoughts and thought about other potential options, but no matter how much I thought about it, Namgung Cheonjun was going to die in the future.

As I said, I only let him live for now.

This was a firm decision I made, and it likely won’t change till the end.

Then,

Swoosh-

I heard a sword cutting through the air.

Thanks to that, I woke up from my thoughts.

Swish-! Swoosh-!

The movements were fast and precise.

As I expected, it was on a completely different level compared to young prodigies.

If I had to guess, that’s what I would see from Namgung Cheonjun after he trained for decades.

That was all I felt from watching this.

Shortly after,

“Whew…”

The man stopped swinging his sword, wiped his sweat and looked towards me.

His clear blue eyes made me feel rather uncomfortable.

Then, the man came close to me and asked,

“How is it?”

“…Huh? How’s what?”

When I asked dumbfoundedly, the man, the Lord of Namgung Clan, Namgung Jin responded once more.

“My movement just now. How did it seem?”

“…Oh.”

I quickly hid my expression when I heard Namgung Jin’s question.

I was here right now because Namgung Jin came looking for me ever since the morning, and Namgung Cheonjun was given the permission to leave thanks to that, and I had to be dragged all the way here by Namgung Jin who seemed desperate.

How was I supposed to know that a Lord of a noble clan, Namgung Clan out of all clans, would come to me so early in the morning like a puppy that wanted to poop?

I’ve been doing such a good job running away.

Furthermore,

How is it my ass… How am I supposed to know?

Namgung Jin showed his sword art, but how would I know anything?

You’re good, that’s just it…

Like I said earlier, that was all I felt.

I didn’t know anything about using a sword, so there was no way I could offer insight.

Moreover, it was the sword art of a swordsman who had reached the Fusion Realm.

There was no way that I could critique a swordsman at that level just from watching him.

But one certain thing is… that he seemed to have changed compared to last time.

Namgung Jin’s sword in the past was sharp and quick as well, but now it seemed different.

I didn’t know it in detail since I didn’t know much about swords, but Elder Shin would’ve said something if he was here, because there clearly was a difference.

The only thing I was able to say from watching this,

seemed similar to the Demonic Sword’s style.

That was the only thought I had in mind.

Of course, it was Namgung Clan’s sword art, so it was obvious that it seemed similar to the Demonic Sword’s,

But it just feels different.

It wasn’t a great answer, but that was all to it.

Namgung Jin’s sword began to resemble the one that Demonic Sword showed.

That was all I was able to see.

If I were to put this into words,

How would I describe it?

What exactly did I notice to make me feel this way?

What was the Demonic Sword’s sword like?

The only sword art I knew from Namgung Clan was the one that the Demonic Sword showed me.

She enveloped her body in radiant Lightning Qi and swung her sword while striking the ground with lightning.

Her swordplay was sharp and filled with killing intent, unlike anything I saw from current Namgung Bi-ah.

Just watching from next to her made me tense.

Moreover, her swordplay was perfect.

That was why she was called the mighty Demonic Sword in the Demonic Cult.

Despite her obsession with slaughter, her technique was impeccable.

As I reflected on the Demonic Sword, I started to hear Namgung Jin’s voice again.

“Please give me advice that I could use as reference.”

“…”

Advice… Advice?

What advice?

…Elder Shin.

I called him in my mind. There still was no response.

You crazy old man! Please wake up…!

No matter how much I shouted, there was no response. What was he doing that he wouldn't wake up?

What do I do now?

Namgung Jin was waiting eagerly.

I didn’t know what kind of advice he was hoping for, nor did I know what to say…

I’m going to say it again, but I’m not a swordsman.

The only time I held a sword was when I was young, back when I followed Gu Huibi and Gu Yeonseo and held a wooden sword.

After that, I stopped using swords altogether.

I basically knew nothing about this.

I could offer advice as a martial artist, but I’m sure that’s not what Namgung Jin wants.

…What’s there?

How can I escape this situation?

Oh.

There was one thing that passed by my brain as I thought about the Demonic Sword.

It's said that the peak for a swordsman is different from that of a martial artist; for them, it's becoming one with their sword.

To become one with the sword, and for the sword to become an extension of oneself.

The name wasn’t the important part.

If one used a spear, it would be called becoming one with one’s spear.

If one used a bow, it would be called becoming one with one’s bow.

Name could be changed whenever.

The important part was the meaning that was held inside.

A state where Qi flowed naturally from the body into the weapon.

It wasn’t about Sword Resonance or Sword Force.

Instead, it meant the process of a person becoming one with their weapon of choice, just like how Qi naturally became one with a martial artist that reached Peak Realm.

I briefly understood what it meant, but it was still difficult for a close combat martial artist.

Close combat martial artists began to shine at Peak Realm.

It's when Qi starts to merge with the body, making close combat martial artists stronger.

It was probably called becoming one with one’s fist, but I didn’t know about it.

I didn’t know if I reached that state and there was a chance that I did, but I at least knew that this process was different from a swordsman’s.

What did she say back then when I asked her?

I recalled the past, and the Demonic Sword responded this way when I asked her.

-It just happens with time.

That’s what she said.

Obviously, I was the dumbass for asking.

Of course, I asked her further into it afterwards, but she only said things that I wasn’t able to understand.

What did she say…

“…To focus on the flow of lightning?”

I believe that was what she said.

I think she gave such an explanation since she used Lightning Qi herself.

But how am I supposed to understand that?

What was the flow of lightning?

Do I get an understanding of it if I watch the sky on a storming day filled with thunder?

Whatever the answer, I couldn't understand it.

No, it was stupid of me to ask something from the Demonic Sword in the first place.

I shouldn’t have been hoping to learn something from them when they reached their level with sheer talent.

For someone like her, it would have been easier to ask why I couldn't do it.

But that’s not the important thing right now.

Lightning or what not, I had to figure out what to say to Namgung Ji-

“…Hmm?”

I began to speak, but Namgung Jin was staring at me with a blank expression.

“…What the, why are you staring at me lik- “

I had to shut my mouth midway for some reason.

It was because I felt something from Namgung Jin’s expression.

Wow…

That’s really insane.

He looked like he had an enlightenment.

Did he really gain something? Just like that?

What did I do to make him react like that?

I didn’t even do anything speci-

Wait.

A thought passed by my mind for an instant.

Was it because I mumbled something about lightning just now?

The Demonic Sword's advice wasn't helpful for me, but it seemed to work for Namgung Jin.

However,

This isn’t something that’s impossible to think about, no?

Considering how they used Lightning Qi, it didn’t seem unlikely that they thought about such a thing.

I remembered watching a bonfire for days to learn about flames.

By the way, it ended up in me raging after not learning anything, stepping onto the bonfire and getting burnt badly by it.

What a maniac…

A martial artist specializing in Flame Arts got burned.

What kind of nonsense is that…?

…Anyway.

If Namgung Jin gained an enlightenment just now from what I said,

This meant that it helped him.

I didn't understand how thinking about the flow of lightning helped, but Namgung Jin definitely gained enlightenment.

The outcome of such an enlightenment could’ve been good or bad, but only one thing came into my mind right now.

“…Can I leave now?”

This happened by chance and it was true that I gave him some sort of advice.

It pricked my conscience, but I had none to begin with, so it should be fine.

Moreover, I could just tell him that this much was enough.

I took a glance at Namgung Jin who was blankly staring into nothing.

I noticed his clear Qi that he hid inside his body.

It was Lightning Qi that tingled to look at, moving as if it had a will of its own.

It didn’t seem to have been in the right place, but it was flowing.

…If I touched him right now, he might die just like that.

If he put all his focus on one thing right now, he would die by me simply touching him because it would mess up the inside of his body.

Seeing Namgung Jin like that, I quietly spoke.

“Uh… I’ll be going now, okay?”

I spoke but Namgung Jin gave no response.

It was obvious, how would he say something in his current situation?

It would have been respectful to stay by his side, but I hoped he could handle it himself.

Plus,

Isn't it unfair he gained enlightenment just from hearing about the flow of lightning?

I understood that enlightenment usually was sudden, but this was unfair.

I should’ve been the one gifted with enlightenment.

It hurt my stomach because it felt like I practically fed him a spoonful of it.

I’m getting heated all of a sudden. Maybe I should just touch him right now?

I could make him end up in the state of Qi deviation just by tapping his shoulder right now.

Slide.

Someone opened the door to the training ground from behind and entered.

I didn’t turn my head to check who it was because I felt a familiar scent.

“What… were you doing?”

It was Namgung Bi-ah's voice, and I responded without turning.

“…Staying by his side.”

Even though I thought I sounded a bit too serious just now.

***

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