Childhood Friend of the Zenith
Chapter 352: The Dark King (2)

Time kept passing.

By afternoon, the forest remained thick with the stench of blood, though the Combat Qi and killing intent were beginning to fade.

It was a brief respite.

The students’ endless screams began to quiet, and the chaos was finally winding down as the sun started to set.

It was an unexpected ambush, but it was stopped in less than a day.

That wasn’t the only surprising part.

When I returned from the Abyss, I’d assumed several days had passed here, but to my shock, it had been less than two hours.

What was going on…

Regarding the ambush, I don’t know if it was because the Black Palace Lord and the Black Dragon were defeated, but the ambush ended in less than a day.

Some might consider it anticlimactic, but there’s no such thing as a “lame” ambush.

Especially when lives were lost.

Blaze.

Once I noticed its breathing had stopped and only black ashes remained from my flames, I released the hand I was holding.

As I let go, the body collapsed to the ground, crumbling to pieces upon impact.

Such was the end of the nameless martial artists of the Unorthodox Faction, all perishing by my hand.

Tap, tap.

I dusted off my hands and scanned my surroundings.

Are there any more?

I expanded my senses.

At my current level, my senses covered half the mountain, whereas before they reached only a fraction of that.

This was partly due to gaining access to my top Dantian and my vessel expanding, but mostly because my control over my Qi had improved.

…There seems to be a few bastards hiding.

But they were at a level the instructors would be able to handle.

Crackle.

I drew back the flames around me and took stock of my body.

I’m exhausted.’

My body felt very heavy. It was the strain of diving into action right after reaching Fusion Realm.

But what choice did I have? Trouble found me the moment I returned.

Doing nothing would have only made things worse.

Not only that,

I have to find the bastard.

As I searched for Jang Seonyeon, I dealt with any enemies I encountered along the way.

In the end though, I wasn’t able to find Jang Seonyeon.

That was a problem.

…What happened?

By the Abyss’s rules, Jang Seonyeon should have returned as I did.

That’s what the World Tree assured me when I asked, and I hadn’t expected it to become a problem.

Moreover,

A situation like this is perfect.

It was an ambush.

I never thought anyone would be bold enough to attack the Heavenly Dragon Academy, but it gave me the perfect chance to kill the ones I needed to.

If Jang Seonyeon returned like I did, this would be the perfect opportunity to kill him without leaving a trace.

But now it’s turned into a hassle.

I checked the place where Cheol Jiseon opened the gate to the Abyss, just in case, but Jang Seonyeon wasn’t there either.

I searched all of the mountain, burning away any enemies I encountered, but I still couldn’t locate Jang Seonyeon.

How was that possible?

If he is hiding… No, even then, I can’t understand.

It didn’t make sense for Jang Seonyeon to hide from me, since he shouldn’t have any memories from the Abyss.

Even if he were hiding, there’s no way I wouldn’t be able to find him.

The only possibility left was,

That he’s already dead.

It would mean he’d already lost his life on this land, explaining why I couldn’t find him.

That was the only possibility remaining.

Unless he vanished somewhere else, that is.

“Tsk.”

This was turning into a hassle.

It would’ve been ideal to use this chance to eliminate him, but now there was a chance he’d survive.

“Haah… Fine, it’s not like the world is ever on my side.”

I brushed my hair back and drew in all my Qi.

My body was utterly fatigued, but I could still move without issue.

This was probably because of one reason.

The Power of the Demonic Human.

I released all my Demonic Qi and directed it toward my heart.

By doing this, I became a Demonic Human and severed the connection between the Heavenly Demon and myself.

Moreover…

“…I never thought I’d be able to undo it.”

I opened and closed my hand few times.

I no longer looked like a Demonic Human; I had returned to my usual appearance.

Returning to normal was supposed to be impossible after becoming a Demonic Human.

That was the absolute law decreed by the Heavenly Demon.

Yet here I was, reverting from a Demonic Human to a regular human.

Was it this easy?

Once I became a Demonic Human and claimed the Demonic Qi as my own, I somehow knew what to do, as though by instinct.

I instinctively understood how to revert to normal and how to use my Demonic Qi more effectively.

It was almost instinctual.

And beyond that*…*

I checked my skin after pulling up my right sleeve.

I frowned at the strange mark left on my skin.

“What is this?”

A strange trace was left on it.

I didn’t have such a thing when I became a Demonic Human in my past life, so what was going on?

It almost looked as if…

“Brother.”

“…!”

I quickly pulled down my sleeve at the sound of a voice, then turned toward its source.

Standing there was Pe Woocheol.

“Oh, you survived?”

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

Pe Woocheol looked as if he was hurt by what I said.

With his fierce face that rivaled mine, his hurt expression only made him look more intimidating.

“Brother… you seem to be fine.”

Pe Woocheol’s eyes widened as he took in the scene around me.

The ground was littered with the corpses of the Unorthodox Faction’s martial artists.

There weren’t that many, but his shock was understandable.

I looked into Pe Woocheol’s eyes for a moment before suddenly speaking.

“Did you kill?”

“…!”

Pe Woocheol’s pupils trembled at my words.

I recognized the emotion flickering in his eyes.

Judging by the marks on Pe Woocheol’s hand, it seemed he had dealt with a few martial artists from the Unorthodox Faction,

It seemed like he felt conflicted mentally because of it, and that made me realize that he was still just a Young Prodigy despite his physique.

“Good work.”

That was my only reaction.

Experiencing this was inevitable for a martial artist.

There was no need for comfort and consolation.

He would have to endure this on his own.

“It seems like it’s coming to an end, so you should go back.”

“…Brother, you…”

“I’ll go as well.”

The students should have evacuated the area by now.

I stayed only to deal with Jang Seonyeon and needed some enemies to vent my frustration on.

It was odd for Pe Woocheol to still be here.

“Why were you still here?”

“…”

Pe Woocheol averted his gaze slightly at my question.

From his lack of eye contact and silence, it seemed he had a reason he couldn’t share.

Seeing this, I began to walk past Pe Woocheol.

I tapped his broad shoulder.

“It’s fine. Let’s go back now.”

There was no need to pry if he didn’t want to share.

He would’ve told me if he wanted to.

“Yes… Brother.”

Swish.

A spring breeze skimmed past my cheek.

Though it should have smelled refreshing, the breeze was tainted with the scent of blood.

“…”

This was likely the worst spring I’d experienced since my regression.

******************

The shattered and damaged Heavenly Dragon Academy had been turned into a refuge.

There were students covered in blood being treated, and there were also some that were shaking in fear.

Some slumped against the walls with hollow expressions, as if their souls had been drained.

The ambush may have lasted less than a day, butfor most, it was their first time experiencing something like this.

No, probably almost none.

Generation of peace, was it.

The war against the Unorthodox Faction was long past.

The strongest of the Unorthodox Faction known as the Four Emperors and Five Kings may have existed, but they weren’t able to do anything besides hide themselves so long as the Orthodox Faction existed.

It made sense, given that the Three Venerables were all part of the Orthodox Faction.

This was the Orthodox Faction’s era.

No matter how much the Unorthodox Faction ground their teeth, they could do nothing against the Orthodox Faction.

Because of that, it made me wonder how long it has been ever since there was an ambush from them.

It was probably the first time in decades.

The biggest event I remember from my past life was the destruction of the Black Palace.

But an ambush on the Heavenly Dragon Academy never happened in my past life.

This was a new change in this life.

This meant one thing.

It’s my fault.

My regression had triggered a butterfly effect.

Those words hit me deeply.

“…No… Get up…!”

“Brother Jang… Brother Jaaaang!”

“Senior… Please open your eyes…”

Despairing screams echoed from the center of the Heavenly Dragon Academy, where the bodies of fallen students had been gathered.

In such a short time, so many students had lost their lives.

It wasn’t like there were more students who died than students who stayed alive, but their deaths still mattered.

They might have lived until the calamity, but instead, they died because of this incident.

That was my fault.

If events that never happened in my past life occur in this one, then it’s all because of me.

…

Was I not aware that something like this would happen?

No, I knew very well.

I knew that something like this was going to happen one day.

It just felt far worse than I had anticipated once it actually happened.

Not only that, I saw the back of a person holding a sword covered in blood, standing in the middle of where the screams of despair came from.

The rising star of Wudang, usually loud and easygoing, was silent, standing among the bodies of his seniors and juniors.

With some students from the Wudang Sect here, it seemed a few of them had also lost their lives.

The sight of the Sleeping Dragon silently watching his fallen friends caught my eye.

Crack.

I bit my lip, unable to hold back, drawing blood.

What a shitty day.

I considered walking up to him but turned my head away instead.

There was nothing I could do for him right now.

I made my way elsewhere.

After a short walk, I spotted Gu Jeolyub from a distance.

He didn’t seem to be in great shape either.

He had an exhausted expression and his body was still full of tension.

Unlike fighting against Demons in the frontlines, this was probably his first time fighting real people.

Cold sweat still trickled down his face.

“…You came.”

Gu Jeolyub noticed my presence and lowered his head lightly.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine. You seem… fine as I expected, Master.”

“What do you mean by expected?”

“I can’t imagine you ever being beaten, no matter where you are.”

“…”

Normally, I’d have smacked his leg for that, but I just sighed and let it slide this time.

“Good work.”

Said Gu Jeolyub as I walked by him.

I squinted slightly at his words.

Good work?

Did I really deserve that kind of praise?

I walked past Gu Jeolyub and entered the building.

Though “building” was a stretch, as everything seemed on the verge of collapse.

“…Sigh.”

Everyone was bustling around.

It seemed like both the instructors and students were here.

-Is there no contact from the Murim Alliance yet?

-…It should be coming soon.

-Do you hear yourself right now!? You are from the Alliance!

-I feel just as frustrated!

The atmosphere in the room wasn’t very good.

Perhaps it was due to the sheer number of people crammed inside.

The purpose of this room was to treat the ones who were injured.

However, the lack of medics compared to the number of injured was a serious issue.

Additionally, some of the medical students had died in the ambush, so naturally, the process was slow.

I walked past them and continued to make my way.

“Ah…”

Someone noticed me and called out.

I’d already noticed them much earlier.

It was funny how they were covered in bandages.

They looked a bit thinner, likely from all the blood they’d lost.

“You came?”

It was Peng Ah-hee that sat next to them, helping with the treatment.

Her hair was a mess, and her clothes were covered in dust since she hadn’t had a chance to change.

Looking far from noble, Peng Ah-hee gave me a tired look.

“…I heard what happened. You went through some trouble, huh?”

I couldn’t help but smile at Peng Ah-hee’s words.

“It seems strange rumors are spreading about me. I didn’t do anything…”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Peng Ah-hee put on a bitter smile, thinking that I was joking.

I turned from Peng Ah-hee and noticed someone slowly reaching a hand toward me.

It was Namgung Bi-ah, wrapped in bandages and looking thinner than usual.

“…Hey…”

I gritted my teeth at the sight of her.

“Do you really think you’re in any position to greet me?”

Namgung Bi-ah flinched at the sharpness in my voice.

“…Are you… angry?”

“Is that even a question?”

“…Sorry.”

Namgung Bi-ah instantly fell silent at my response.

I didn’t like seeing her like that.

Seeing her apologizing to me, of all things.

“What were you trying to do?”

“…Hmm?”

“You should know better than to rush in without observing your opponent first.”

I heard the story.

Namgung Bi-ah had faced off against the Palace Lord, and this was the result.

“Are you crazy? Do you have a death wish?”

“…”

“And what if you’d died there? What were you even thinking, being so reckless…!”

I couldn’t hold back my emotions.

I was mad at no one but myself.

I’d nearly lost her again because I was oblivious to what was happening.

It was because of my incompetence.

That made me burst out in anger.

Then, Namgung Bi-ah gently tugged at my sleeve.

“…I’m sorry… don’t cry.”

Her sudden words brought back a memory.

-Are you crying?

I was reminded of a similar moment from my past life.

“What do you mean by crying?”

“…I’m fine…”

Her bones were broken, she’d exhausted her Qi, and I’d heard she nearly died from blood loss.

So what did she mean by her saying that she was okay?

“It’s fine… so don’t apologize.”

“…Okay.”

I should be the one apologizing.

I was horrible.

I was pathetic, taking out my guilt on her like this

What was the point of me reaching higher levels?

I couldn’t even protect her from something like this.

I had to thank the World Tree for this.

I expected that a few days would’ve passed in the normal world when I came back, but I was able to return in just a couple hours ever since I entered the Abyss, and that was most likely thanks to the World Tree’s help.

What would’ve happened if I’d been a few days late?

The thought sent chills through me.

I didn’t want to think about it.

It was fortunate.

The fact that she hadn’t died.

I moved my gaze.

Next to Namgung Bi-ah, Tang Soyeol lay with her eyes closed.

From her condition, it seemed she hadn’t fallen asleep naturally; someone had put her to sleep using Qi.

“She lost a lot of blood, but they said her life isn’t in danger.”

Peng Ah-hee answered the question I hadn’t asked.

“…But why was she put to sleep?”

“…Sis is fine because of her level, but they said Soyeol would heal quicker like that.”

As a Peak Realm martial artist, Namgung Bi-ah could stay awake thanks to her rapid regeneration, but Tang Soyeol lacked that ability, so they put her to sleep.

I’d also heard about how Tang Soyeol had confronted the Black Palace Lord.

“…”

Remembering this, I found myself gently touching Tang Soyeol’s hair without even realizing it.

Namgung Bi-ah only watched my act and didn’t react to it strangely.

She instead only asked me a question.

“Where is Seol-Ah?”

She asked about Wi Seol-Ah.

“She’s resting.”

I recalled what had happened earlier.

A lot had happened, but Wi Seol-Ah lost consciousness soon after.

Because of that, I’d spent a considerable amount of time helping Wi Seol-Ah and Bi Eejin.

Moreover,

-We have some things to discuss, don’t we?

Bi Eejin’s words carried a lot of weight.

Damn it.

He wasn’t going to let me off the hook easily.

How do I explain it to him?

I didn’t know.

Every time I did something, problems cropped up, and it made my head throb.

“Hey.”

Lost in thought, I was startled as Peng Ah-hee suddenly spoke.

“…What?”

“The Sword Queen came earlier.”

“Sword Queen?”

I hadn’t seen her and wondered if something had happened, but it seemed she was alive, thankfully.

Then again, it would take more than an ambush like this to kill a martial artist of her caliber.

Though I can’t say the same for the Qinghai Sword.

My lips felt dry as I remembered the old man kneeling, one arm gone.

“She asked me to tell you to go see her when you arrived.”

“Me? Where?”

The Sword Queen was looking for me.

Peng Ah-hee explained that the Sword Queen was currently with the Qinghai Sword, where he was being treated.

I immediately transferred some of my Qi to Namgung Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol, then made my way out.

I would have liked to stay longer and visit Wi Seol-Ah afterward, but this felt urgent.

I headed toward where the Qinghai Sword was being treated.

The instructors guarding the place flinched upon seeing me, but allowed me through when I mentioned the Sword Queen was expecting me.

Apparently, the Sword Queen had informed them beforehand.

As I walked past the escorts,

Swish.

I lifted up the entrance to the tent.

Inside, I saw the Qinghai Sword, asleep after his treatment, and the Sword Queen who had summoned me.

“…You came.”

“…!”

Beside the Sword Queen, who sat on her knees, was the white-haired man with pale eyes whom I’d seen earlier in the day.

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