Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 360

Clang!

The face of Cheon Gang, who was pushed back by the explosion, contorted like a demon’s. Though his face was quite handsome, the distortion made him look like a terrifying ghost. His expression alone was enough to make a weak-hearted person faint.

“What the hell is this guy?!”

Crackle! Crackle, crackle!

Moyong Gun, emerging through the dust, looked like a thunder god descended to earth.

Zzzing! Shatter!

Blue lightning unraveled like a thread. When he stepped on a stone, sparks flew, and it crumbled like crushed tofu. The concentration of the emitted lightning was truly immense.

Cheon Gang’s lips twitched.

“It’s become difficult to approach him, hasn’t it?”

When one transcends the Wall of No Return [a significant threshold in martial arts], the body is restructured to contain high concentrations of true energy [internal energy]. In other words, the refined mind, energy, and body transcend into a completely different realm.

However, there is no end to martial arts. There are realms beyond the Wall of No Return, and these realms can be reached when the mind, energy, and body, once transcended, soar again.

This is the realm of the martial god, the realm of the Absolute, as people call it.

Everything changes when one steps into that realm. The changes a master experiences when breaking through the Wall of No Return are less significant than the changes an absolute master experiences when reaching the realm of the Absolute.

Lee Ho Mu Jang Cheon Gang was a master who boasted the fastest speed among the martial generals.

He was a master who had achieved the limit of speed obtainable by breaking through the Wall of No Return. Therefore, even masters of the same rank found it difficult to respond to him because of his speed.

However, it was a different story for a master like Moyong Gun, who had an exceptional understanding of the realm.

He might be taken aback in the first few exchanges, but after that, he could quickly find a way to respond. The reason was that the strength of martial arts was not determined by speed alone.

Murtial arts is a combination of various factors such as speed, power, change, timing of counterattacks, and the manipulation of true energy.

Moyong Gun was a master who was proficient in all of these areas. Although he was slightly more focused on speed and power, he could be seen as pursuing a balanced martial art.

He was fundamentally different from Cheon Gang, a master who had maximized only one advantage.

“What’s wrong?”

Flash! Flash!

Moyong Gun had fully unleashed his Thunderclap Art. It was as if lightning was pouring from his eyes. Moyong Gun, walking with a blue glow in his eyes, looked truly inhuman.

“Is your fancy footwork over here?”

Swish!

Golden flames surged from Cheon Gang’s body.

“You crazy bastard! I was just playing around, and you’re getting cocky!”

His voice echoed loudly. Somehow, his tone seemed different from before. His tone, which had felt young and even childish, seemed to have changed into that of a seasoned adult.

“I’ll play with you properly!”

Boom!

Cheon Gang charged forward with a roar. Surprisingly, he was moving at an even faster speed than before. It was as if a streak of golden light was cutting through the air.

Moyong Gun’s eyes flashed.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Cheon Gang staggered backward. The protective energy of Moyong Gun’s lightning shield, the Thunder Emperor Wall, was creating tremendous recoil. The faster he approached, the greater the impact.

“I’m starting to read you now.”

Zzzing! Zzzing!

Moyong Gun’s left hand moved to the front.

“I can see exactly how you’re going to move.”

“Bullshit!”

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Cheon Gang’s figure disappeared from sight. He seemed to be charging forward, but then he suddenly floated into the air and moved to Moyong Gun’s rear.

It was an extreme speed that shattered the air. Although it maximized the consumption of internal energy and stamina, the increased speed created greater destructive power and unpredictability.

Cheon Gang’s hand moved in a crescent shape. Golden flames erased the air along his hand.

Flash! Clang!

“Ugh!”

The veins on Cheon Gang’s forehead bulged.

Crack!

Moyong Gun’s foot was buried in the ground up to his ankle. He had blocked Cheon Gang’s hand, but he had not been able to completely deflect its power.

Still, Moyong Gun’s expression remained cold.

“Didn’t I tell you? I can read you now.”

“Y-you bastard!”

“You’re leaking uncontrolled killing intent everywhere. No matter how fast you are, it’s meaningless.”

That’s right. Cheon Gang’s killing intent, which was almost madness, was enough to diminish the opponent’s fighting spirit. However, because he was emitting such strong killing intent, his movements were clearly readable to a master’s senses.

If one did not panic and did not engage in a speed-versus-speed battle, it was possible to respond. Of course, this was only possible for someone of Moyong Gun’s level.

“It’s time to end this.”

Whoosh!

Moyong Gun’s eyes exploded with light.

Clang!

Cheon Gang’s body was thrown backward by the force released from the sword.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Cheon Gang realized that Moyong Gun’s killing intent had covered all the directions he could evade.

Whoosh!

A powerful force surged in. An enormous sword energy that burned the air was coming in. Cheon Gang did not have a martial art powerful enough to counter it.

‘Evade!’

Left, right, up, down, there was nowhere to escape. Then, the only option left was to evade backward. Cheon Gang kicked off the ground.

Boom!

Cheon Gang retreated at a terrifying speed. But that was a misjudgment.

Flash!

Cheon Gang’s mouth fell open. Moyong Gun’s lightning sword energy, which he had unleashed, was already right in front of him.

No matter how fast a person’s movements are, they cannot be faster than lightning. That was the same for Cheon Gang. He had blocked all escape routes, leaving only a small opening, and then unleashed a sword strike that was one step ahead. It was a move that highlighted Moyong Gun’s experience.

Cheon Gang unfolded his twin Fire Dragon Blades.

Clang!

“Cough!”

Cheon Gang coughed up blood with a tremendous crash.

Clang!

The force was so strong that Cheon Gang’s body crashed through a building.

Whoosh!

Moyong Gun, who had soared high into the sky, once again focused lightning energy on his sword. He did not let his guard down just because one attack had succeeded. Moyong Gun was also a veteran master, and he knew how important it was to continuously push forward the advantage once it was gained.

‘Nine Thunder Demon Split.’

Flash! Clang!

The lightning sword light, unleashed with divine speed, completely destroyed the ruined building. It was a martial art that any master in the world would find difficult to counter. For Cheon Gang, who had already suffered internal injuries, complete evasion or perfect defense was impossible.

“Cough!”

Sputter!

Cheon Gang, who had emerged from the rubble of the collapsed building, was covered in blood.

Swoosh.

Moyong Gun, who had landed lightly on the ground, pointed his sword at Cheon Gang.

“Let’s end this now.”

Deep sword wounds covered his entire body like a net. His internal injuries were also severe, and the energy waves he was emitting were very unstable.

Cheon Gang gritted his teeth.

“You damn… !”

In an instant, the balance of the fight had completely shifted.

Zzzing!

‘Ugh!’

Blue lightning crackled and sparked from various parts of Cheon Gang’s body. Not only were his internal injuries severe, but the lightning that had penetrated his body had also disrupted his meridians [energy pathways]. It was difficult to suppress the lightning even with the true energy of the Golden Emperor Purification Art. It was unbelievable. The power of the Golden Emperor contained the most advanced form of energy among the purification arts. When the Crimson Lotus and Azure Dew reached their peak, they could transition to the Golden Emperor, but Cheon Gang had learned the Golden Emperor Purification Art as his first martial art.

It was unbelievable that even with such true energy, he could not stop the penetrating energy.

‘I can’t use my speed in this state.’

If he forced his speed, his entire body’s meridians would be completely destroyed. Even if he formed a Fire Essence, it would be difficult to survive.

‘Can I even use half of my original speed… Damn it! To be pushed this far!’

Moyong Gun’s lips curled up.

“I can hear you thinking all the way over here.”

“…”

“It’s been a while since I’ve felt this refreshed. It was fun thanks to you. Let’s end this now…”

That’s when it happened.

Boom!

Surprise flickered across Moyong Gun’s face. The explosion that came from the back of the manor was deafening. But it wasn’t the loudness of the sound that surprised him.

‘What is that?!’

The shockwave that was released when Cheon Gang and Yeon Ho-Jeong collided was also tremendous. And he had pushed Cheon Gang, who had created that tremendous shockwave, to the brink of defeat. However, the current shockwave was fundamentally different.

The force of a being more powerful than any master here was emanating from it. The density of that power was so great that it momentarily reminded him of Yang Cheon.

‘No, it’s not as strong as the Black Dragon Deputy Leader. But it’s definitely beyond our family head’s level.’

Moyong Gun’s face visibly hardened.

‘Who the hell is it…?!’

At that moment, Cheon Gang spoke in a mocking voice.

“You crazy bastards. You’ve finally incurred ‘that person’s’ wrath.”

“That person?”

“The one who taught me martial arts, the strongest martial general who has led the Eighteen Martial Generals for over twenty years.”

“… !”

He taught you martial arts? Such an old master was here?

“Now you are all dead. He is one of the strongest, second only to the elders of our sect. If you’re struggling against someone like me, no matter how many of you there are, you can’t overcome him.”

Moyong Gun said in a calm voice.

“That’s not your concern. We’ll take care of it ourselves, so go to the afterlife now.”

Flash!

Moyong Gun’s sword was swung towards Cheon Gang’s neck.

Swoosh!

It seemed he hadn’t let his guard down. Cheon Gang barely managed to avoid the lightning sword.

But that was the end of it. The enraged lightning god’s sword strike poured down on Cheon Gang’s head, whose posture had collapsed.

‘…?!’

Moyong Gun, who had been looking down at Cheon Gang with cold eyes, could not hide his momentary bewilderment.

‘Why…?’

Cheon Gang was looking up at him with a smile. Even though he was on the verge of being torn to pieces, he was not struggling or showing a terrified expression.

‘What is he relying on?’

That’s when it happened.

Moyong Gun was startled when he felt the terrifying force pouring out from the back of the manor.

Boom!

Moyong Gun coughed up blood and stepped aside.

‘Such an impact!’

He had blocked the sword path in the middle, but he could not completely block this unknown force. He had suffered internal injuries from just that one block. It was a terrifyingly powerful true energy.

Swish!

The golden flames that had crossed the sky gradually faded, and then disappeared with a whoosh!

The size and thickness of those flames were incomparable to Cheon Gang’s. Naturally, the density of the fire energy was also higher.

“Cheon Gang.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes trembled.

A middle-aged man with a sturdy build was standing next to Cheon Gang.

Cheon Gang bowed his head.

“I greet the Divine General.”

“I was told you would be resting for a while. I was told I would leave everything to you.”

“…”

“But what is this mess?”

“…I apologize.”

Fear was evident in Cheon Gang’s voice. The arrogant Cheon Gang could not even dare to lift his head. A strong sense of awe towards his opponent was felt.

Moyong Gun’s eyes trembled.

‘An incredible powerhouse!’

He wasn’t emitting golden flames like Cheon Gang, but his presence was overwhelming the surroundings. He was exuding the aura of an absolute powerhouse.

Moreover, his appearance was also unusual.

‘A Westerner?’

Golden hair, pale skin, and unusually long limbs.

That’s right. The middle-aged man was a Westerner.

The man looked at Moyong Gun.

In that instant, Moyong Gun felt the hair on his entire body stand on end.

“What are you?”

Boom!

At that moment, a loud explosion rang out, and four-colored true energy poured out from the back of the manor like a flood.

Flash!

A demon flying through the air swung a huge axe at the middle-aged man.