Childhood Friend of the Zenith-Chapter 581: In Step (3)

"Hello."

A simple greeting.

There was nothing inherently wrong with it, yet as I stood there, staring at her, I couldn’t muster a response.

The violet eyes I feared even in my dreams.

The black hair with subtle streaks of another hue, framing her face.

Her appearance brought someone to mind. Someone I’d always known I would face someday—but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would happen like this.

Here, in the back alley of Hanam, in a shabby restaurant serving noodles.

No one could have predicted such a meeting.

Woom-!

My heart thudded violently, seemingly without reason.

The moment I recognized her, my body tensed on its own, my heartbeat pounding with force.

Whoosh-!

At the same time, energy surged chaotically through my body.

Crack.

The rush of qi through my blood vessels strained my still-healing body.

Yet, I forced myself to channel even more energy.

I had to.

Even with that, it wasn’t enough.

‘What do I do?’

Why was she here?

Was I still dreaming?

‘Damn it.’

I knew better than anyone that this wasn’t a dream.

If this were a dream, the demonic energy surging through my body wouldn’t feel so vivid.

The magical qi I’d been suppressing all this time had begun to stir uncontrollably, clearly reacting to her.

It couldn’t tolerate the presence of another magic wielder in the same space.

What kind of insane energy was this? It was maddening.

But the magic qi wasn’t the real issue here.

The only thought running through my mind was this:

‘Can I kill her?’

Could I even hope to kill the woman in front of me?

A few years ago, when I first encountered her at the Divine Dragon Pavilion, I’d felt the massive gap between us.

Since then, I’d worked relentlessly to bridge that gap, growing immeasurably stronger.

Yet, even now, it wasn’t enough.

To face the Heavenly Demon—the one who played with the Three Supremes of Zhongyuan, rulers of heaven itself—was far beyond me.

No matter how strong I had become, she was that Heavenly Demon.

Sweat dripped down my back.

Even as I focused all my willpower on steadying my breath, it was nearly impossible to remain composed.

The Heavenly Demon, on the other hand, simply stared at me. She made no move, no sign of aggression.

Seeing this, another thought crept in.

‘Should I run?’

It was the most practical option.

Even with my increased power, facing her now was suicide—especially in my current, weakened state.

She must have known that, too.

Woom-woom-woom-!

My instincts screamed at me to abandon reason. The surging magic qi seemed to roar:

Kill her now.

I took a step forward, closing the distance between us.

I clenched my heart, forcing myself to steady my mind.

Logically, I knew.

Starting a fight here would be reckless.

It would be a foolish, irrational move.

But my body wasn’t listening.

Even as my mind told me to stop, my fingers twitched, moving of their own accord.

And then—

“No.”

Her voice rang out, calm yet firm.

I froze without thinking, my body halting as if bound by her words.

Her violet eyes, so serene, gazed at me.

They were at odds with the overwhelming tension of the situation, exuding a strange tranquility.

Unlike the pile of empty noodle bowls stacked high on the table.

I frowned, staring at her. Meeting her eyes stirred a chaotic storm of emotions within me.

Hatred.

Resentment.

Fear.

A volatile mix of feelings swirled in my chest.

“What did you say...?”

I managed to croak out, though barely.

“No.”

She repeated the word calmly and lifted her noodle bowl, showing it to me.

What? What the hell was she doing?

Before I could make sense of it, she added,

“Food.”

“...What?”

“My sister said to be quiet while eating.”

What nonsense was this?

The confusion in my heart was quickly joined by bewilderment.

Her words were incomprehensible.

Seemingly oblivious to my reaction, she continued speaking, her tone unwavering.

“So, you stay quiet, too.”

With that, she resumed eating her noodles, slurping them down with vigor.

Her mannerisms—her voracious appetite—somehow reminded me of Wi Seol-ah.

Watching her, I felt my pupils quake as if an earthquake had struck.

‘What the hell is this?’

What was this situation?

I came to this alley restaurant for breakfast, and here she was—the Heavenly Demon, eating noodles.

It was absurd enough to be laughable. Yet her behavior...

‘...Is she really the Heavenly Demon?’

The thought was ridiculous, but it crossed my mind nonetheless.

Of course, that doubt didn’t last long.

I knew better.

The Heavenly Demon was real.

The chaotic magic qi within me wouldn’t be reacting so strongly otherwise.

I could sense it clearly.

The absurd concentration of magic qi in her body—so dense it was practically impenetrable.

She was the source, the origin of magic qi itself.

Even though I had claimed some of that power for my own, it would never change the fact that she was its rightful master.

Looking at her now, slurping her noodles as if nothing mattered, I activated my energy perception to observe her more closely.

Or at least, I tried to.

I couldn’t see past the massive wall of magic qi that blocked me.

That wall itself was her power.

Years of hunting demonic beasts and accumulating magic qi had taught me one thing.

Her power was on an entirely different level from mine—both in quantity and quality.

She was, without a doubt, the Heavenly Demon.

The one I had vowed to destroy in this lifetime.

And yet...

‘What’s with this attitude?’

What was I supposed to make of this scene?

The Heavenly Demon, sitting here in a back-alley restaurant, devouring noodles with reckless abandon.

She seemed so different from what I remembered.

In my past life, she had been a calamity to humanity.

She viewed everyone beneath her as insects and had the overwhelming power to back up her arrogance.

She was the monster who had dethroned the Three Supremes of Zhongyuan and stood alone at the top, looking down on the world.

That was the Heavenly Demon.

But this...

Slurp.

All that arrogance, all that grandeur—reduced to someone slurping noodles as if it were her life’s purpose.

And then—

Thud.

The bowl hit the table with a dull sound as the person set it down, having finished their meal. Their expression was something to behold.

“Hmm...”

A look of great satisfaction spread across their face.

How many bowls was that now? A quick count suggested nearly ten.

And then, they said,

“It was delicious.”

With that brief remark, Cheonma stood up.

“...!”

I instinctively tensed up at the sight.

Momentarily shaken by the strange situation, I reminded myself who I was dealing with—Cheonma.

I needed to refocus, to fully grasp the magnitude of who was standing before me.

Countless thoughts raced through my mind.

What would happen if a fight broke out now?

The destruction of the surrounding area seemed inevitable. How soon would the Martial Alliance intervene?

Would I even last until they arrived? And even if I did...

‘Would the Alliance be on my side?’

There were too many uncertainties.

The very fact that I had encountered Cheonma here was a massive disruption to my plans.

My teeth clenched in frustration.

The potential fallout from this situation was overwhelming, and knowing that only made things worse.

Was this an opportunity or a crisis?

The storm of thoughts consumed me, leaving me unable to make a decision.

Which was why—

Even as Cheonma approached, I failed to react.

‘Damn it!’

By the time I realized it, Cheonma was already beside me.

I hurriedly tried to move, belatedly reacting, but—

Grip!

I felt Cheonma’s hand seize my arm.

“...!”

I couldn’t shake it off. The grip was too strong.

To break free, I would need to unleash a significant amount of energy.

I turned my head, but Cheonma wasn’t even looking at me.

Where is she looking?

Just as I wondered—

“Please calculate the bill.”

Cheonma spoke in an utterly casual tone.

An elderly woman appeared in response.

“Did you enjoy your meal, miss?”

“Yes.”

“My, my, such a slender young lady ate so much!”

The elderly woman chuckled cheerfully as she glanced at the towering stack of bowls.

Cheonma handed her something—a silver coin.

The woman’s eyes widened at the sight.

“Oh, my goodness. I don’t have enough change for this...”

The amount was far more than what ten bowls of noodles—or even an entire day’s worth of sales—would cost.

Flustered, the elderly woman hesitated, but Cheonma remained indifferent.

“Keep the change.”

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With that, she nodded politely to the woman.

Watching this, I involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.

Cheonma bowing to someone—it was unimaginable.

“It was delicious. I’ll come again.”

As Cheonma turned to leave, the elderly woman tried to say something, but—

Cheonma dragged me along by the wrist, exiting the shop without another word.

Once outside, I immediately yanked my arm free.

Smack!

I didn’t need much force—Cheonma’s grip had already loosened.

As I pulled away, Cheonma glanced at her now-empty hand with a curious tilt of her head.

I, on the other hand, stared at her with a twisted expression, struggling to keep my emotions from boiling over.

Barely restraining myself, I asked her,

“...Why. Why are you here?”

No matter how much I tried to stay calm, the sharpness in my voice was undeniable.

This was the best I could manage.

Cheonma looked at me quietly for a moment before answering.

“I came to eat.”

I ground my teeth at her nonchalant response.

“Don’t play games with me. What are you scheming?”

Was she trying to mock me? This couldn’t be serious.

When I glared at her, skeptical, Cheonma replied,

“You...”

Her tone was calm, making me tense up instinctively.

What was she about to say?

“You... why do you hate me?”

Her unexpected question took me completely off guard.

“...What?”

I blurted out, caught off balance. Cheonma, her expression full of genuine curiosity, asked again,

“I haven’t done anything to you. So why do you hate me?”

Out of everything I’d heard since my return, this question was by far the most bewildering.

Why do I hate her?

Was that even a question?

I could list countless reasons to despise and loathe her right now.

There were hundreds of things I could have said, yet—

For some reason, I couldn’t say a word.

‘What is this?’

Nothing came out.

It felt as though something was holding my mouth shut.

Why was I hesitating?

Was it fear of Cheonma?

Yes, I was afraid.

The being who had taken everything from me and tried to burn the world to ashes terrified me.

But fear alone wasn’t enough to silence me.

So what was it?

I bit down hard on my tongue, trying desperately to force words out, but it was no use.

Time passed.

If I couldn’t wield my tongue like a sword, I should have relied on my fists. Yet even that was impossible.

All I could do was stand there, silently staring at Cheonma.

“....”

Several seconds passed as I met her violet gaze.

Seeing that I couldn’t speak, Cheonma turned her head and gestured toward the shop we’d just left.

“Over there, it’s good. I like this place.”

Her voice was calm and matter-of-fact.

“You should try it too.”

It felt like a meaningless remark.

I turned back to look at her, ready to snap, but—

“...Damn it.”

In the brief moment I hesitated, she was already gone.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I bit down on my tongue. I dragged a dry hand down my face.

I had always known this, but now it was clearer than ever.

Something was wrong.

Something was twisted—badly, irreparably twisted.

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

She stepped out of the shop, her movements light and deliberate.

She didn’t need many steps to reach her destination.

If she willed it, she could go anywhere.

Her path led to a secluded spot—

a small, unassuming dwelling built somewhere between the edges of civilization and wilderness.

It was a cramped location, rented for a modest price.

An explanation that made little sense to her.

“Oh, you’re back?”

Someone greeted her upon her arrival.

It was a woman she referred to as “Unnie.”

“Yeah.”

“You said you were going to eat, but you’re a bit late.”

“Yeah.”

Her reply was curt, her expression vacant.

Her companion seemed used to such responses, unfazed by the short answers.

“Well, as long as you enjoyed your meal.”

With that, the other woman extended a hand. The younger one tilted her head, puzzled.

“The leftover money.”

“There isn’t any.”

“...What?”

The elder woman paused, clearly taken aback.

She had given her silver, so why was there none left?

Before she could voice her confusion, the younger woman spoke plainly.

“Last time, what you did. I did the same thing.”

“...What are you talking about?”

“Keep the change.”

The elder woman pressed her fingers against her temples.

Yes, she had indeed said that before, but—

“That’s... that’s not how...”

She stopped mid-sentence, sighing deeply.

Who could she blame but herself?

She was the one who had handed silver to this oblivious girl and sent her on an errand.

It was fine. There was still enough travel money for now.

And worst case, she could always depend on her mother, who was somewhere nearby.

“Forget it. So, did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yeah. It was good.”

The younger woman’s answer was tinged with satisfaction, prompting a faint smile from her companion.

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

She followed up with another question.

“You said there was somewhere you wanted to go. How did you even know about it?”

The younger woman shook her head.

“It was my first time.”

“What?”

“It was my first time there.”

Her response was simple but strange, prompting the elder woman to make a peculiar expression.

“Then how did you know you wanted to go there?”

“I don’t know.”

Her face showed that even she couldn’t understand her own words.

“But I wanted to go.”

Her answer made no sense, and her companion eventually gave up trying to make sense of it.

As always, she decided to let it go.

“...Well, as long as you had fun, that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah.”

The younger woman nodded and started to move, but her companion called out to her.

“Oh, by the way, Yeona.”

“...”

The younger woman stopped and turned back to face her.

Her expression was different now—slightly twisted, as if something displeased her.

“...Don’t call me that.”

It seemed she didn’t like the name she was being called.

“I’m not Yeona.”

Her response was firm.

“Then what should I call you?”

The elder woman asked, but—

“...”

The younger woman didn’t seem to have an answer. She simply pursed her lips, as if unsure what to say.

Her companion chuckled at the sight.

“You don’t even have a name to give, so why are you so insistent about it?”

“...Either way, that’s not it. I’m leaving.”

With a curt reply, the younger woman walked off, clearly sulking.

Watching her go, her companion—

no, Gu Heebi, the black-haired woman—sighed in exasperation.

“I’ll never understand her.”