Childhood Friend of the Zenith -
Chapter 356: The Celestial Sword (1)
In a dark area behind the Heavenly Dragon Academy, resembling the black barrier covering the sky, a black-haired man wearing a half-mask, the Dark King, revealed himself.
He was missing an entire arm, holding his severed limb in his remaining hand.
No blood flowed because he already stopped his bleeding with Qi.
“…”
The Dark King calmly gazed in a particular direction as he stepped outside.
Beneath the trees, a woman was waiting for him.
She appeared to be in her thirties, an elegant woman with long black hair.
Upon seeing her, the Dark King spoke first.
“I kept you waiting. I apologize.”
“…It’s no problem at all…”
The woman waiting for him was Soi, the Sword Queen of Mount Hua.
Her eyes widened as she took in the Dark King’s appearance.
It was because she noticed his missing arm.
“Are you okay?”
The Dark King gave a faint smile at the Sword Queen’s question.
“You’re as kind as ever, worrying about me.”
The Sword Queen frowned at his response.
She and the Dark King had crossed paths when the ambush first began.
Just as the mysterious black barrier covered the sky, the Sword Queen rushed toward the students, only to be blocked by someone.
It was a mysterious person with white hair and white pupils. The man who stopped her said this to her.
-It has been a while.
-…!
He was the Dark King.
-How come you are…!
As the Sword Queen began to respond, shocked, the Dark King’s fingertips were already at her neck.
Little was known about the Dark King’s martial abilities, but the Sword Queen knew.
Unlike other assassins, the Dark King didn’t use daggers.
He didn’t need them; he had likely reached the level of her master and father figure, the Celestial Plum Blossom.
While weapons could maximize one’s potential, the Dark King didn’t seem to need any.
If he chose, his fingertips could decapitate her right now.
She had tried to sense the students’ safety amid the ambush, but that brief distraction had landed her in this position.
No.
Given it was the Dark King, even this could have been calculated.
In this situation, she could only say one thing.
-…Please let me go.
There might have been a way to escape, but she had no time to consider it.
Because of that, she chose to beg him.
-If you came to kill me, I would gladly give my life… but right now…”
-Sword Queen, I have no intention of killing you.
-Then…!
-That’s why it would be even more problematic if you moved.
The Sword Queen didn’t understand why the Dark King was stopping her; she offered her life in exchange for the students’ safety, but he declined.
The Dark King had no intention of killing her. That means…
Reach.
The Sword Queen acted swiftly.
There might have been a more logical choice, but she had no time to spare.
Just as she prepared to draw her sword and channel her Qi,
-You’re making this harder than it has to be.
The Dark King twisted his fingers against her neck.
Swish.
The Sword Queen quickly directed her Qi to protect herself, but her power was neutralized as if her Qi was meaningless.
That was the end.
The Sword Queen lost consciousness, and by the time she awoke, it was mostly over.
Many had lost their lives, and the Heavenly Dragon Academy lay in ruins.
“Why did you do this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“…Children died. Dozens of them.”
The Dark King’s expression remained unchanged despite her words.
In fact, he seemed almost unable to comprehend.
“And?”
The Sword Queen’s expression darkened at his response.
“Do you think that is my fault?”
“If you hadn’t gotten in my way…!”
Tap.
The Dark King vanished as soon as the Sword Queen spoke, reappearing behind her.
“You seem mistaken. Do you think you could have saved them if I hadn’t stopped you?”
“…I might not have saved all of them, but I could have saved some.”
The Dark King nodded at her response.
“That’s a fair answer. However,”
The Dark King’s fingertips brushed against the Sword Queen’s back.
“Do you think I have any reason to do as you wish?”
“…Elder.”
His voice was ice-cold.
“I understand your sense of justice and chivalry, but isn’t it selfish to demand that of me?”
“It is not. Everyone dies at some point of their life.”
The Dark King had a firm tone.
“I understand that you’re angry and frustrated, but you should be thanking me.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
The Dark King sighed softly at her question.
“I don’t want to sound arrogant, so I won’t say.”
“Elder.”
“Let’s discuss something else, shall we?”
The Dark King cut her off, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
But the Sword Queen wasn’t about to let it go.
“I’m not done ye- “
“You seem to be mistaken.”
Just as the Sword Queen was about to speak, a powerful killing intent radiated from the Dark King’s feet.
Even the Sword Queen flinched from the dark overwhelming aura.
“Whether it’s that child from earlier, or you.”
Due to the mask’s influence, his black pupils began turning white.
“Do you know why I’m keeping you both alive, even though you irritate me?”
Though his tone and expression remained unchanged, the Sword Queen found it hard to breathe under the relentless killing intent he emitted.
The Sword Queen wasn’t one to be overcome by arrogance or pride.
However, she didn’t think that she was at a low level.
After all, she was skilled enough to earn the title of Sword Queen.
But she didn’t expect that there would be this much difference in level between her and the Dark King.
It was an ambush earlier.
Rumor had it that the Dark King could kill even the Three Venerables in the dead of night, if he wished.
The Sword Queen had never believed those rumors, but seeing the Dark King now, her opinion shifted.
“It’s only because you two are connected to a friend of mine. Such a small reason keeps you both alive.”
Friend.
The Sword Queen knew exactly who he meant.
It was her master and parental figure.
The current Lord of Mount Hua, the Celestial Plum Blossom.
He had also been there when the Sword Queen first met the Dark King.
When she was very young, around ten people visited Mount Hua.
The Celestial Plum Blossom wasn’t the Lord of Mount Hua yet, and he was called the Fierce Sword of Mount Hua at the time.
Those who visited him, claiming to be friends, were individuals who would become incredibly powerful in the future.
Among them was even someone who would later become one of the Three Venerables.
“Hgh…”
When the Sword Queen could no longer endure it and groaned, the overpowering killing intent vanished instantly.
“Celestial Plum Blossom. I understand your character since you’re his disciple,”
The Dark King walked a short distance past the Sword Queen.
“But I am not like him, so don’t impose your values on me. There won’t be a next time.”
The Dark King wasn’t from the Orthodox Faction.
He wasn’t part of the Unorthodox Faction either, but it was hard to consider him an Orthodox figure, given his title as the King of Assassins.
The Dark King knew, and he didn’t consider himself part of the Orthodox Faction either.
For him, it was necessary, and he had no hesitation.
The value of life didn’t matter to the Dark King.
“If you believe lives were lost because of me, so be it. I’ll let you hold onto that belief.”
After passing the Sword Queen, the Dark King lifted his severed arm and reattached it to his shoulder.
The Sword Queen couldn’t help but be shocked after seeing such a sight.
“…!”
A mysterious liquid appeared where his arm met his shoulder, sealing it back in place.
Once fully reattached, he could move it again.
Then, the Dark King raised his reattached arm into the air.
The Sword Queen watched, wondering what he was doing.
Crack.
As soon as the Dark King clenched his fist,
Craaaaack-!
“…!”
The black barrier covering the sky began to crack.
This revealed that the barrier, which had blocked all contact with the outside, was the Dark King’s doing all along.
The Sword Queen stared in shock, wondering how such a feat was even possible.
Noticing her gaze, the Dark King spoke.
“What’s with those eyes?”
“Your arm… how…”
Even the Immortal Healer, who had reached the peak of the medical field, couldn’t reattach a severed arm like that.
It was hard to even see that as a medical technique.
The Dark King tilted his head, observing the Sword Queen’s reaction.
“You should know that humans aren’t the only ones who inhabit this world.”
“…Then you are…?”
“Hm, I’m not sure. I still consider myself human.”
The Sword Queen swallowed nervously, keeping her gaze fixed on the Dark King.
She now had a clearer grasp of his capabilities after witnessing what he could do.
In a way, it felt like a warning.
At least, that’s how the Sword Queen interpreted it.
“I know you’re searching for something.”
“…!”
The Sword Queen flinched at the Dark King’s words.
“I’d prefer if you stopped, but I know you won’t even if I ask. I can’t kill you, so I’ll let it go.”
“Elder… Is there something you know?”
The Sword Queen had been searching for her friend’s whereabouts and answers about the events at Heavenly Dragon Academy.
Did the Dark King know about this?
She looked at him, wide-eyed, but the Dark King simply turned away.
“Even if I know what you wish to know, I have no intention of telling you.”
“…Elder…”
“It’s because I could already see that crazy bastard going insane if you fall in danger.”
As he spoke, the Dark King pictured a few faces in his mind, three people in total.
One was a giant likely laughing away in the mountains of Shanxi somewhere, while the other was already dead.
The last was a young man with close ties to the two he’d just thought of.
A little brat, huh… Though I suppose I shouldn’t call him that.
The young man, with black hair and the fierce eyes characteristic of his family, was already far beyond the level of a Young Prodigy.
The youngest person to reach Peak Realm, was it?
The Dark King hadn’t believed the rumor, but after meeting him, it made him laugh.
Fusion Realm.
He had already reached the Fusion Realm.
It was a level only perhaps a thousand people had reached across the Central Plains.
For someone around twenty to achieve a level that most reached only in old age, it meant he would leave his mark on history.
Even the usually emotionless Dark King was shocked, a testament to how impressive this feat was.
However, the Dark King had another concern.
It wasn’t by accident.
He had sensed it clearly.
From that young blood relative of the Gu Clan, he sensed a similar aura to his own.
******************
“Achew…!”
I wiped my nose after the sudden sneezing and thought to myself.
Is someone talking about me?
Why are my ears and nose so itchy?
“…Well, it’s not uncommon for people to badmouth me.”
I dismissed the thought quickly.
People had spoken poorly of me countless times before, so why would I care now?
With that, I turned my attention to the person crouched in front of me.
“What are you doing here?”
“…”
No response came.
Instead, they kept their head down, their body trembling slightly as if exhausted.
I sighed lightly and called to her again.
“Sis.”
“…”
The girl’s shoulders flinched at my voice.
So, she was listening, after all.
“Are you going to keep crying?”
“…Who… who is crying…!”
The girl, who lifted her head angrily, was Gu Yeonseo.
“At least wipe your swollen eyes and say that.”
“…Hghh…”
Gu Yeonseo quickly rubbed her eyes with her sleeve after my remark.
“Sigh, how childish.”
“…You… you’re the strange one.”
As I teased her, Gu Yeonseo responded in a shaky voice.
“How could you be normal… after seeing all that?”
People died right in front of us.
Students were beheaded, or they bled out and lost their lives.
Moments before, I could still hear their breathing, but then everything went silent in mere seconds.
“…I almost died.”
Gu Yeonseon almost ended up dying.
She was captured by an ambusher, and his sword could have ended her life.
If she wasn’t killed, then there was a chance that she would have been humiliated.
Ironically, the one who saved her was Gu Jeolyub.
He launched his own ambush and rescued Gu Yeonseo.
Afterwards, they concealed their presence and managed to survive.
“But you…”
“What about me?”
What was I doing during it?
I was likely hunting down other bastards and killing them.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand Gu Yeonseo.
It was her first time setting foot in the Central Plains, although she had spent most of it within the walls of Heavenly Dragon Academy.
The only time she left the clan was for Nine Dragons Day, and even then, it was just near Shanxi.
I’m sure she hadn’t expected to face real combat situations like this.
Even then…
“It’s fine since you survived.”
“…You…!”
That was all I could say to her.
I understood her fear and the reason for her tears.
But I wasn’t about to tell her she was better off than those who had lost their lives.
Nothing good would come from it if I did.
“Huibi would’ve said the same thing.”
“…!”
I invoked Gu Huibi’s name.
I’m sure that crazy girl would’ve said the same thing.
Even if she was drenched in blood, no matter what she’d gone through,
It’s fine as long as you live.
She would have stood right back up, saying those words.
It wasn’t just Gu Yeonseo who had faced a situation like this.
“…Why are you bringing up sis?”
Gu Yeonseo’s expression turned fierce at the mention of Gu Huibi.
She was from Gu Clan, alright.
With that expression, she looked frightening.
“You dare to…!”
“You said you wanted to be like her. Then get up. Stop sitting here crying so embarrassingly.”
The survivors were busy cleaning up the mess or treating the injured.
They might have been fine because they hadn’t endured what Gu Huibi had, but she had no one to confide in, no one who would understand.
“Sis, did you even thank the guy who saved you?”
“…”
“You didn’t, did you? How embarrassing. Just change your surname too. Don’t go around saying you’re from the Gu Clan. It’s embarrassing.”
“You little…”
Gu Yeonseo started growling.
“How dare you when you don’t even…!”
“Of course, I don’t know. How would I know?”
I knew nothing.
We were related, but we weren’t close.
And the fact that I knew nothing about her probably meant that no one else cared about Gu Yeonseo either.
I’d only heard a few whispers that Gu Yeonseo was sitting here like this.
Seriously, how annoying.
“Keep crying if you want. The clan will send people soon enough. Then, you can go back holding their hands. But,”
I turned to speak to her.
“Don’t go around calling yourself a martial artist. Be sure to tell the Lord that, too.”
“…”
I didn’t bother waiting for Gu Yeonseo’s response.
I simply started to walk away, sharpening my senses as I went.
I heard Gu Yeonseo sob softly, but then sensed her moving toward the students cleaning up the mess.
I felt a bit relieved at that.
The black aura had fully disappeared from the sky.
The people from the Alliance would arrive soon.
Then, the clans will hear about what happened to the students, and everything will explode from there.
The Heavenly Dragon Academy…
I wondered if this year’s Heavenly Dragon Academy could continue, but it seemed unlikely..
I had hoped for an early graduation, but that no longer mattered.
I achieved what I wanted, but definitely not in the way I’d hoped.
…Of course this isn’t good.
An incident that hadn’t happened in my past life had occurred.
And it was for the worse.
I felt a headache coming on.
I continued on my way. The only thing left was to go see Bi Eejin and speak with him.
It was best to get it over with early.
As I walked, I sensed Moyong Hi-ah running toward me from a distance, even though she should have been waiting.
“What the, why did you run here?”
“Master Gu…”
From her breathing, it seemed she had run as fast as she could.
“What? Did something happen again…?”
My voice trembled as I spoke, dreading what Moyong Hi-ah might say after our conversation earlier.
But what Moyong Hi-ah said next was unexpected.
“…Young Lady Wi has woken up.”
“…!”
Wi Seol-Ah woke up.
I ran over to her without waiting for more details.
Seeing her was more important than speaking to Bi Eejin.
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