[{"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-469":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},1239995,1667,"Chapter 468","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-469",469,"\u003Cp>Whirl, whirl, whirl—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the midst of the raging storm, he clung to consciousness, fighting to hold on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body seemed on the verge of bursting, swelling with unbearable pressure. If he even thought about letting go, he could feel that his body would immediately explode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak, crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of things breaking and reassembling echoed from within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And throughout this, he felt his entire body being torn apart, the pain excruciating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was beyond mere injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snap, snap—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His bones shifted, his skin tore, his organs twisted, and his blood felt as though it were boiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he couldn’t even scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he let any sound escape, everything would be over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The violent energy continued to force its way into his body without pause. He had long surpassed the limits of his physical endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had far exceeded the capacity his body could contain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How was he still enduring this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skin felt like it was about to rip apart, his body screamed for release, begging for death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening his eyes and closing them. Breathing in and out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this state, where everything was pain and despair, all he could do was endure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body, holding on by a thread, kept breaking and rebuilding its structure, thousands of times over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of breaking echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rip—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of tearing filled his ears. Every part of his body felt pain, and he no longer knew where the damage was happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I want to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the only thought as the pain crossed his limits. He wanted to give up and die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was he enduring this suffering?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was he barely clinging to consciousness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump, thump—thump, thump—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps aware of his weakening mind, the energy inside him began to rampage even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was desperate to break free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They forced their way in, these damned things.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his eyes slightly, barely able to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hollow laugh escaped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The space, once filled with water, was now entirely empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All that water had disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had all gone into his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once overflowing water had transformed into energy and filled him to the brim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to suppress the recoil, he let out a breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blue energy seeped out from his slightly parted lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps as a result, his heart throbbed heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain from even the smallest tremor was overwhelming; that was truly close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Damn it.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much longer? Just how much longer did he have to endure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This ordeal had made him realize a few things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even at the edge of his limits, he learned just how resilient humans could be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when it felt like death was imminent, here he was, somehow holding on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A patch of skin tore away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just a cut; an entire section of his skin peeled off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sss…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And new skin grew in its place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It hurt as it tore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it hurt as it regenerated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was torment beyond torment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, damn it. I should have just handed everything over back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I should have just surrendered when I had the chance. Now, a pang of regret lingered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ha.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of reward was I aiming for in this life, anyway?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe calling this lifea lifewas a stretch now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I survive this, I won’t be human anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…This is bullshit.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d wanted to live like a human. Now I wouldn’t even be that. What an empty life this has turned out to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With hands trembling from the pain, he clenched his jaw, bracing himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Then.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Why are you enduring this?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice echoed in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been whispering ever since he started holding on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice sounded like the one filled with bloodlust, but the atmosphere felt different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Might just be a hallucination.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice was faint, likely just a hallucination brought on by the pain. It didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t particularly afraid of going insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You could find peace if you just let go. Why bother enduring this?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just a little noisy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You claimed not to fear death, so why cling to life?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Quiet down. You’re distracting me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It doesn’t make sense.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Who asked you to understand?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even I don’t understand it; how could someone else?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why am I even doing this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s too late to question why.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was too late to be finding reasons for why he had come this far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I looked, I could find plenty of justifications.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps thinking of future crises, enduring for the sake of saving the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe desiring to transcend humanity and reach a higher place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could make up countless reasons, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of it means anything to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Then why…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There might have been a reason once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe there used to be one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were Shin Noya here, he would probably have endured, claiming he needed to save the world, driven by some conviction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I’m no hero like that old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t particularly care about the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether a war erupts, or secrets of the world surface, it doesn’t matter to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had to find a reason…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Just, if I gave up easily, I’d lose face in front of the kids.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it’s just that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That’s all…? Just that?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice sounded as if it couldn’t believe the answer. Who the hell was this, to be so condescending?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You too now? Ganging up on me?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the bloodthirsty voice was mocking him, and now—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Even my own lingering regrets are mocking me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even his attachment to remaining human had started to taunt him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he growled in frustration, the voice seemed to hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…I… I don’t want to become a monster.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice was forlorn, filled with resentment and sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I know.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had wanted to die as a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t achieved it in his past life, but he had wanted to hold onto this one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It may have become impossible now, after becoming a demon, but it had been a cherished desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Even now, you could give up…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I could.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he let go now, he would die immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, as a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a human, he could die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not as some superior being or an unknown entity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could die with the flesh he was born with, as himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought brought a smile to his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a human would cling so foolishly to this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he want to live as a human while simultaneously desiring to remain human?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew it well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a selfish desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a noble sense of human dignity or unyielding pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was simply the desire to remain beside those dear to him, as a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…I… I want to be human.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice, filled with lingering attachment and sorrow, continued to strangle him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Telling him he didn’t deserve it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Telling him it was already too late to qualify.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logic ruthlessly scolded him, but selfish desire reared its head again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s too late, but who cares?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if this life differs, can’t it be different this time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How pathetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time flowed, but he remained the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, despite it all—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m sorry.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m afraid I can’t do that.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His life had been a series of choices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he had never once avoided weighing each decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, his history had been determined by choosing the heavier option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this time was no different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would choose the heavier path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He weighed his regrets and the happiness of those he cherished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t even something that needed to be decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already known it in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because he had reached that point of realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lingering voice faded from his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m sorry.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he apologized once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never apologized for himself before, but this once, he had to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In rebellion, the energy surged stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With it, the pain intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, his body began to change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buzz—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy that had been swelling endlessly finally began to move. From his toes to his head, it surged through him, driving him to madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grrrr—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guh… ugh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vortex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive energy swirled and transformed into a whirlwind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack, snap—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shell that had been cracking broke away all at once, and his shattered bones reformed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his structure changed, the energy followed new pathways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where was its destination? He realized it immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast energy inside him turned toward his heart, stirring his entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crush—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grrraaaaah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy that had already seemed to push him to his limit now gathered in his chest, an overwhelming pressure unlike anything before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it wasn’t over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The compressed energy shrank even further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if he might implode at any second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to hold on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it felt impossible, he had to hold on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak, crack—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could hear things breaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something inside him had started to shatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever container once held him had already broken, so what was shattering now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cracking sounds from inside soon echoed outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The space around him was breaking down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump—! Thump—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His chest pounded violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The space twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sensation of continuous collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the midst of this, he barely held onto his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clung to consciousness desperately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only time he could release his grip on reality was when everything finally ended. He was determined it had to be that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, he held on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fierce pounding that had been shaking him every second gradually began to ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as the intensity waned, so did the pain. Just when it seemed as though it might finally be over—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint tremor pulsed in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy he had barely managed to contain exploded outward in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Engulfed by this incomprehensible surge, he could no longer hold on, and his consciousness slipped away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gasp…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he finally opened his eyes again,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>so much had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>",1697,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.032Z",1,"novelbin.me","5cb846cd5e28f521d7a2fbd6d3776e22ca3647df11183b53ea8c551cfc6e1330","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-470","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-468",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]