[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-journey-to-become-the-zenith":3,"chapter-journey-to-become-the-zenith-journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-25":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Journey to Become 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},1828562,2432,"Chapter 25: The Dragon That Refused to Kneel","journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-25",25,"\u003Cp>The Dragon That Refused to Kneel\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor stood before the strange weapon, golden eyes gleaming with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, spirit,\" he called casually.\"How about you show yourself to me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the faint hum of dormant power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him, the other weapon spirits shifted uneasily. Their earlier eagerness faded into something closer to apprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir Victor... that is not something you want,\" one spirit said, voice tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That weapon...\" another added, \"its legend is one of death and massacres. It has never acknowledged anyone as its master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It rejects all wielders,\" a third warned. \"It is not something a mortal man can handle. Not that we question your ability... but that one is different.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They spoke like children warning someone away from a cursed ruin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor listened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warnings?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To him, those sounded like invitations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without another word, he stepped forward and grasped the handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his skin touched the grip—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A violent force surged upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His right arm was struck as if by invisible blades, ripping, grinding, tearing at flesh and bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weapon did not test him gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It attacked without mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within seconds, the skin of his palm split open. Muscles strained. Blood welled up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor calmly began healing the damage, mana flowing through his veins as torn flesh sealed itself—only to be torn apart again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain bloomed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unrelenting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any ordinary man would have screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deep, delighted sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you really think this much pain will make me quit?\" he taunted. \"It doesn’t even tickle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The force intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weapon answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its attack doubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it felt as if his entire arm might dissolve into nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flesh shredded faster than he could fully mend it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he did not flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just being attacked one-sidedly is boring,\" he muttered. \"How about I retaliate?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sent a surge of mana into the weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade trembled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It did not withdraw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It pushed harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor increased his output.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana clashed against mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Invisible currents collided, sparks of power rippling through the pocket dimension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither yielded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A battle of endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either Victor’s reserves would run dry—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or the weapon would concede.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding spirits watched in stunned silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minutes passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure materialized before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a black cloak that draped down to the floor. A thick veil obscured her face, but her silhouette made it unmistakable—she was female.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aura around her was heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood-soaked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you finally appear,\" Victor said, eyes gleaming. \"Just when it was getting good. Are you going to give up? Come on. Struggle some more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cloaked spirit did not attack again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She spoke instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was young. Too young for the weight it carried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why do you seek to be my master?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I do not wish to be wielded.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone held neither arrogance nor fury—only exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wish to rust away here. Forgotten. I do not wish to see another master die because of me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor chuckled softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A weapon... afraid of killing its master?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A weapon afraid of its wielder’s death,\" he said. \"That’s hilarious.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Listen carefully. I don’t know what kind of fools you served before, but none of them were me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His smile turned sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You will break before I die by your hands. And that,\" he added lightly, \"is never going to happen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her aura trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are a weapon. Asking me not to wield you?\" he continued. \"Sorry. I don’t listen well. The more you refuse me with idiotic reasons, the more I want you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mana surged outward, filling the entire space around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you won’t submit willingly,\" he said quietly, \"I will force you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fighting spirit flared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Untamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood there like a predator thrilled by danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit felt the disparity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had more raw mana than he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By numbers alone, she could crush him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he did not cower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at her with anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a child finally given something interesting to break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confusion flickered within her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did he not despair?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did he not beg?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would show him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her power erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could have enveloped the entire shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, she focused everything—every ounce—onto him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure was suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most would kneel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most would cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor grinned wider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This,\" he whispered, \"is what I’ve been looking for.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since his past life as Anos—the Demon Lord who stood at the pinnacle—true battles had grown scarce. Worthy opponents vanished. Fear replaced resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fight he might actually lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Certain death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His blood roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come!\" he shouted. \"Show me everything! Show me your overwhelming might!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His golden eyes blazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I’ll crush it beneath my feet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit faltered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He should have broken by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he looked ecstatic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time and time again, he defied expectation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she decided—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would end it differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weapon itself dissolved into light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The physical blade vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sphere of red-black radiance formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor did not move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He welcomed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sphere touched his right arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He braced for annihilation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No tearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light sank into him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heat spread along his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tattoo formed: a red and black dragon, two serpents coiling around one another in eternal struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the sword spirits gasped in admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Amazing, Sir Victor! You have tamed her. She has chosen you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Chosen?\" he repeated blankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a few heartbeats, he simply stood there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his expression darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What was that?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glared at his own arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought you were going to attack me! What happened to the battle?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice echoed through the shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come out and face me! I’m your master now, right? I order you to come out and fight!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cloaked spirit reappeared, hovering calmly before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sorry, Master,\" she said gently. \"I cannot battle you anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The moment you commanded me to submit—that was the beginning of the contract.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone held a trace of quiet amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When I chose to submit, the bond was formed. We are now wielder and weapon. I cannot harm you in any way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor’s eye twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Annul the contract and face me first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Impossible,\" she replied softly. \"This contract binds us until death do us part.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other spirits dared not breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor stared at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, understanding dawned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No grand conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No final clash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No decisive victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had chosen him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in acceptance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of disappointment washed over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Fine,\" he muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thrill drained from his expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s just find Videl and get out of here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned away, shoulders slightly slumped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I feel really tired right now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the first time since entering the shop—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor looked almost... sulky.\u003C\u002Fp>",1162,"2026-06-09T06:06:36.650Z",1,"novelbin.me","9d28f4b719111aee13e6de93705f2ce080e4b9abc766e2d0e67be8b782912cb9","journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-26","journey-to-become-the-zenith-chapter-24",253,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fjourney-to-become-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]