[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith":3,"chapter-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-382":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Childhood Friend of the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1239858,1667,"Chapter 382","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-382",382,"\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air was filled with the sound of something breaking, the acrid scent of burning everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world was scorched black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—Flames roared upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opposing flames clashed, as if each was trying to claim dominance over the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qi contained within each flame was so dense and powerful that each collision sent tremors throughout the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom, boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surging energy heated the air, making it deadly to approach, let alone breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above, the sky was an odd mix of red and black, split into sections like oil and water that refused to blend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roooar—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive flame let out a sound like a feral scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames began to twist into the shape of a dragon before crashing to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the flame hit the earth, the ground fractured, the stones turning half-molten from the intense heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so hot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything around was blazing red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chaotic flames consumed the surrounding dark flames before returning to their caster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sssssss—As the flames receded back to their source, the scorched and molten world remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Huff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at my opponent with exhausted eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, our flames had been the same. Now, having fallen to darkness, my black flame was hotter and wilder than it ever had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, it was so easily devoured by the red flames before me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced my expression to stay neutral as I looked at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same severe look. A stern face, weathered and hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could say he looked like me. Or, rather, I looked like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time had surely passed, though it showed no signs on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His crimson eyes bore down on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's been a while.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His first words to me in years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I had thought she would return. But sending you instead... she is more ruthless than I imagined.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was talking about Cheonma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After our last battle, Cheonma had retreated to recuperate. I glanced at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wound Cheonma bore was a gift from my father, a scar from a warrior who no one else had managed to harm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, he looked unscathed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I knew better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know you’re struggling.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyebrow twitched at my words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear. His body was being consumed by demonic Qi—not just any, but Cheonma's own Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, even in that state, he stood, breathing only by sheer willpower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That my flames couldn’t reach him was proof enough of his power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Third.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grimaced at the address.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Isn't it time you stopped using that title?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t like it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you still see me as your son?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face shifted, a strange expression crossing his features.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wasn't that the case?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I closed my eyes, clenching my teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know I killed Hong Hwagwanggeom?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Hwagwanggeom, the title held by the late Gu Heebi. His eyes flickered at the mention of her name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I’ve come to kill you now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even now, do you see me as your son?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remained expressionless. He knew I was involved in Heebi’s death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t even get angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you ever think of me as your son?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had, he might have reacted differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might have scolded me, demanded an explanation, or tried to pull me back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he did none of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when I fell to demonhood—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, standing before him—he did nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wished he’d shown some anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it the flames that made my insides burn?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did you spare me that day?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I had first fallen, when my name spread across the martial world, he had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in that moment, I had expected death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t think he’d let me live, not after what I had become.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he had only looked at me and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wondered for a long time why. Then it dawned on me—you must have been pleased to see me gone. You didn’t have to worry about keeping the young lordship open anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words fell from my mouth, spoken in resignation. He only listened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that why you haven’t shown any anger, even now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Were you hoping I’d be angry?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t know. But it might have been better that way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a time when I wanted the world to be indifferent, to just look the other way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, maybe I wanted attention after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded in understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That, too, frustrated me. I asked him, almost laughing,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What was I to you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was I to him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a disappointment? The bastard son of a concubine? A stain on the family?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt lightheaded, maybe from the heat or the strain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t answer. Did he think my question was worthless?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was just like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out a small laugh, watching him. At the same time, I wreathed myself in black flames again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We don’t need to talk anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, too, summoned his flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they erupted from him, I felt the pressure building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Red Heavenhad activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I, too, activatedBlack Heaven,pulling on every ounce of strength I had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dark Qi coiled around my fingers, gathering into a blazing orb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just one. Orbs of flame filled the air around me, more than I could count, before shooting toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though they would have incinerated everything around us, the orbs vanished before they reached him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with all that energy disappearing, there was no sound, no disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clenched my teeth, leaping forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I moved, I glanced at his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There lay the secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ultimate technique of our clan, a secret known only to those who had mastered Guyeom Taryun Ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power that had wounded Cheonma, and the flames that symbolized our family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, I knew I could never beat him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had known that from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I came here not to finish what Cheonma couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t about the honor of a demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I came here—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To die by his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames surged forth, burning darker as they consumed my buried emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It might be an illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But maybe not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames lashed out again and again, but they couldn’t reach him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I bit down hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames erupted from his feet, stopping me, but I forced my way through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was hot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though I was a master of fire, his flames felt unbearably hot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My clothes were singed. Flames pierced through my defenses, searing my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain was almost enough to make me pass out, but I pressed on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing me charge at him, something flickered in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gathered flames at my fingertips, condensing every ounce of energy I could muster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t an intricate technique. It was just raw, condensed emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would die here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had reached my limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was tired of the slaughter. Even if my life had been for others, it wasn’t enough to keep going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My goal had crumbled a long time ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was I living for? I might have known once, but now, I couldn’t remember.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was tired and just wanted it to end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe, with this death, I could atone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was childish, but I felt a twinge of guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t atonement; it was selfishness. But it was too late to care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took another step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red flames grew stronger as I approached, as if he intended to burn me alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had wanted this, but there was a hint of bitterness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the ending I had wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To die by the hand of the father I had feared and resented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a pitiful end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I laughed, feeling that it was a fitting way to go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took one last step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, I was wrapped in flames, taking the form of a dragon and a tiger. Trying to bind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pushed through, scattering the flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood right in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wreathed in those red flames I once bore, his crimson eyes and hair stared back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was that expression?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand moved—a hand wielding the ultimate power of our family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it touched me, it would be over. I reached out, wondering—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What face would he make when I died?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would it be as emotionless as it was now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That seemed likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anything else was hard to imagine. Just as I thought that, his hand came closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large, rough hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It should have moved quickly, but somehow, it felt slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was my life flashing before my eyes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hoped not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of my memories were ugly and bitter, hardly worth revisiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just wanted to close my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as my hand was about to reach him, his hand made contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames around him vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disappearance of the flames meant he had released his power, and the Qi that had been guarding his body was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no time to process it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to pull my own energy back, but he grabbed my hand, pulling me forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fist hit his chest, sending a shockwave through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huff—!The wind burst around us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I struggled to comprehend the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I struggled to comprehend the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What… what is this…?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My head lifted slowly, and when I finally looked up at him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was blood at the corner of his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had tried to retract my energy before impact, but I hadn't managed to pull it all back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The force had struck his unprotected body directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a situation where immediate death would have been understandable, he stood there, unaffected, steady on his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What… what are you doing…?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Incoherent words fought their way out of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, I felt something on top of my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>",1648,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.031Z",1,"novelbin.me","a84b33600a25051304f263a8000373fa270c681b833719ffc995153a9f6b2b16","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-383","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-381",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]