Childhood Friend of the Zenith Chapter 1165

Frontline

Some time after the Blood Demon War ended.

This was a place of abnormalities at the edge of Zhongyuan.

The Magyeong Gates appeared in exceptionally high numbers here.

Compared to other locations, the frequency of their emergence was strangely excessive.

Moreover, the amount of demonic beasts emerging from these gates was far greater than in other regions.

The reason? Unknown.

The only thing certain was the disparity between the number of gates and the number of beasts appearing from them.

The Martial Alliance had poured countless resources into researching this anomaly, but they found nothing conclusive.

The mass influx of demonic beasts.

If left unchecked, these creatures could expand their domain, threatening the surrounding regions.

Thus, regular extermination was necessary.

It was an essential task, overseen by the Martial Alliance, ensuring that the threat was contained.

Particularly, the Nine Great Clans and the Four Noble Houses.

Alongside other prestigious sects and families, they took turns managing the frontlines in an organized rotation.

“Move it! How do you expect to hunt properly at this pace!?”

“Pick up your weapons, you bastards!”

Rough voices roared across the battlefield.

The ones clad in light blue martial robes were all warriors of the Martial Alliance.

Among them, a few howled with laughter, their voices tinged with madness…

“So it’s those damn Peng Clan bastards.”

A member of the current Four Noble Houses.

It seemed that this time, the Peng Clan of Hebei was handling the rotation.

“So it’s their turn now.”

KRRAAAAAGHHH!!!

SLASH—!

Demonic beasts charged forward, only to be cut down with ease by the warriors.

They were nothing more than Green-Rank beasts—at most, a few Blue-Rank ones.

Hardly a threat.

In fact, being stationed at the frontlines was seen less as a dangerous mission and more as a tedious obligation.

Every time a clan’s turn came around, it was treated as nothing but an annoyance.

The Peng Clan likely felt the same way.

“Let’s see…”

Ignoring the Peng Clan, I scanned my surroundings.

I concealed my presence and silently observed from above.

“There they are.”

It didn’t take long to spot them.

“First Blade Division.”

The Blade Division of the Gu Clan.

Though the frontlines were managed in rotations, the Gu Clan was based in Shanxi, the closest region to the battlefield.

As a result, they handled most of the frontline duties.

Back when I was younger, I never understood why the Gu Clan shouldered such a burden.

“But now, it’s different.”

The way I saw it now, the Gu Clan wasn’t just managing the frontlines.

“They’re guarding something deeper within.”

To ensure no one else reached it.

That was their true purpose.

“I suppose the First Blade Division are here for that reason.”

At the heart of the battlefield, a camp had been set up.

That was the First Blade Division’s base of operations.

And inside…

“Hmm?”

I sensed a familiar presence.

That was…

“…Elder Il.”

It was him.

So that’s where he disappeared to after causing a ruckus in the Gu Clan.

“So he came to the frontlines.”

It seemed that Gu Ryun was overseeing this operation.

That made sense.

“Since Gu Ryun is the current First Blade Division Master.”

I was surprised when I first heard that the current leader of the First Blade Division wasn’t the old man I knew, but Gu Ryun instead.

“I had no idea he had taken on that role before becoming an Elder.”

Ssshhhh—!

I suppressed my Qi even further, erasing my presence.

If it was Gu Ryun, he might have been able to detect me if I was careless.

“Stay quiet.”

Fwoosh.

I abandoned my aerial vantage point and dropped silently to the ground.

No noise.

No movement.

Even my Qi was completely contained.

I landed without a sound, completely unnoticed.

Then—

“Hah.”

A soft exhale as I unleashed my Qi sense.

Siman (Heart’s Eye) activated.

Thin strands of energy spread out, floating in the air.

I controlled them precisely, ensuring they avoided Gu Ryun’s camp.

Instead, I let them flow through the entire forest.

Hwaaaaaah—!

My Qi sense expanded further and further.

Even if I could move without detection, it was always better to be cautious.

“No unnecessary risks.”

I had to be thorough.

As I was mapping out the area with my Qi sense—

“Gurk!”

“Aaaaargh!”

“Hmm?”

I sensed something strange.

Deep inside the frontline territory.

A considerable distance away.

But…

“This isn’t the presence of demonic beasts?”

It wasn’t.

All the energy signatures I sensed were human.

“What the hell?”

There was killing intent.

And screams.

Killing intent and human screams? Here?

Even if something was happening, it wouldn’t be unusual.

But…

“Something about this feels off.”

It reeked of trouble.

“Well, since it’s on my way…”

Might as well check it out.

With that thought, I took a step forward.

**********

Swish—!

“Graaagh!”

With the sound of something being severed, a spray of blood splattered across the ground. A scream of agony rang out, but it was short-lived.

Thud—!

A sword was driven straight into an open mouth.

“Gghrk—”

A choking sound escaped as another figure collapsed to the ground, adding yet another corpse to the growing pile.

“Phew.”

The man who had just pulled his sword from the corpse let out a sigh.

“I told you… what’s the point of being curious?”

If they hadn’t come poking around unnecessarily, none of this would have happened.

He clicked his tongue in frustration as he gazed over the dozens of dead bodies strewn across the ground.

“This is why orthodox sect bastards are hopeless.”

They should’ve just stayed put instead of chasing ideals like righteousness and chivalry. Meddling in meaningless affairs was what got them into this mess.

“Click—”

He ran a bloodstained hand through his hair, slicking back the strands that had clung to his forehead. His eyes carried a heavy exhaustion—a clear sign that this hadn’t been a short battle.

“Damn bastards.”

How had they even found his location?

They weren’t from the main sect, but if frontline forces had moved in, it meant at least some information had leaked.

“Hm…”

Should he abandon this place, too?

It was a troublesome decision.

“I’m not done yet.”

He still had unfinished business here. While he had hidden himself on the frontlines to stay out of sight, there was something he needed to confirm.

‘The orthodox sect bastards are hiding something.’

They weren’t just clearing out this dangerous area for the sake of purification. There was something deeper, something they were trying to keep concealed.

His gut told him as much.

And even if it didn’t—

“I can’t leave just yet.”

It was still too dangerous.

“Damn it.”

A wave of regret washed over him.

“…If only I hadn’t touched that.”

He had let his temper get the better of him and laid hands on a woman. That was the real problem.

Because of that, the orthodox sect was now hell-bent on hunting him down, and he knew it all too well.

“Fucking hell… how did the Fire Artisan Demon end up like this…?”

The man grumbled with frustration—

“Fire Artisan Demon?”

He froze.

A voice rang out behind him.

Startled, he turned around.

There stood a young man.

A boy, no older than his late teens, with a height of around six feet. His features were strikingly fierce—almost unnaturally so.

But what caught the Fire Artisan Demon’s attention wasn’t the boy’s face—it was his clothes.

“…Azure Dragon Division?”

That uniform. It was unmistakable.

“…Ha… so the Martial Alliance’s hounds have already reached me.”

A grin tugged at his lips.

He had barely managed to catch his breath, and now the real trouble had arrived.

“All this over some merchant’s whore? What, she was that precious to you? I only had a taste—why go to such lengths to be a pain in my ass?!”

His voice exploded with annoyance, but the boy said nothing.

He simply stood there, watching him in silence.

‘What’s with him?’

That reaction—was he scared stiff?

Well, of course.

After all—

“Are you that Fire Artisan Demon from the Four Demonic Monarchs?”

“Yeah, I am. I am one of the Four Demonic Monarchs.”

A Grand Demon of the unorthodox sect. One of the legendary Four Demonic Monarchs.

“Aaah.”

Only then did the boy nod, as if something had just clicked.

“…So you’re the dumbass who ran his mouth and got himself killed.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. So? What are you doing here?”

The boy casually kicked a corpse out of his way as he approached.

The Fire Artisan Demon furrowed his brows.

‘The hell?’

Something was off.

This kid was walking over the corpses of his own sect’s people without hesitation.

And those eyes—

That soulless gaze.

“…You’re not from the orthodox sect, are you?”

That wasn’t the gaze of a righteous warrior.

It was something much darker.

Suspicious, the Fire Artisan Demon narrowed his eyes—

And the boy smiled.

“Something like that.”

What kind of half-assed answer was that?

Was that a yes or a no?

‘Doesn’t matter.’

It made no difference who this brat was.

“You came alone?”

“As you can see. I’m not the social type.”

“That so?”

Alone, huh?

He didn’t sense any other presences nearby. Confirming that, the Fire Artisan Demon smirked.

“Listen up, kid. There’s one thing you need to know.”

“What’s that?”

“You just made the worst choice of your life. You should’ve run while you had the chance. That’s the only way you would’ve survived.”

He should have just turned and fled.

Had he done so, he might have lived.

But now—

‘Another corpse on the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° pile won’t make a difference.’

This whole place reeked of blood already.

Even if he left the body here, beasts would come and devour it soon enough.

“Whoever you are, you won’t even leave behind bones.”

The Fire Artisan Demon raised his sword, bringing it to his tongue to lick—

But.

“…Huh?”

Something was wrong.

He couldn’t feel his blade.

“What…?”

That was when he realized.

His arm was missing.

His right arm, which had been holding the sword, had been ripped off.

‘What the—’

What the hell just happened—?

“GRAAAAH!!!”

The delayed pain came crashing down, and he screamed.

“Looking for this?”

In front of him, the boy held up an arm.

His arm.

“Huff…! Gah…!”

His breath hitched, his body trembling as he looked up at the boy—

And then.

“Let me tell you something, too.”

The boy’s blue eyes bore into him.

“You wouldn’t have escaped either way. I was never planning to let you go.”

The moment their eyes met, the Fire Artisan Demon’s body went rigid.

Fwoosh.

Ssssssshhhhhhh—!

“AAAAAAGGGHHH!!!”

A searing pain burned into his shoulder, and he shrieked.

“Answer me. Unless you want to die.”

Even as he screamed, the boy—Gu Yangcheon—spoke as if nothing had happened.

And at that moment—

The Fire Artisan Demon realized something with absolute certainty.

‘This bastard…’

He was not a man of the orthodox sect.

No—he wasn’t even human.

Not after everything he’d seen.

‘…A demon.’

A true monster stood before him.