Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 686

Flash!

The White Dragon Axe sliced through the air with the speed of a beam of light.

Speed was power. Combined with Yeon Ho-Jeong’s cleaving technique, which maximized the simple principle of ‘cutting,’ it was powerful enough to slice through steel like butter.

Yet, Myeong Geuk was blocking such a strike with incredible ease.

Clang!

A powerful resonance spread out in a circle, distorting the earth.

Whack!

Yeon Ho-Jeong thrust the Heaven Piercer.

The Heaven Piercer, with half of its axe blade gone, was no longer worthy of being called an axe. With only half an axe blade remaining, it was no different from an iron rod.

Clang!

The axe blade of the Heaven Piercer, struck by Myeong Geuk’s Heavenly Divine Seal, shattered completely.

No matter how solid Yeon Ho-Jeong’s inner energy was, it was difficult to penetrate Myeong Geuk’s hand technique, which had condensed his energy to the purity of a divine weapon.

Swish!

Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t dwell on the Heaven Piercer, or rather, the Heaven Piercer Rod. Without hesitation, he let go of the iron rod and swung the White Dragon Axe, which had already crossed the air to aim for Myeong Geuk’s face.

At that moment, a flicker of urgency appeared in Myeong Geuk’s eyes, which had been dyed in seven colors.

Whack!

He used the divine energy of his upper dantian [a key energy center in the body, according to traditional Chinese medicine] to bind Yeon Ho-Jeong’s movements, delaying him by half a beat, but such an action was no longer meaningful.

The reason was simple. It was impossible to know whether Yeon Ho-Jeong would swing the axe or throw it.

If he assumed it would be swung and tried to disrupt the timing, the axe would invariably fly at him.

Myeong Geuk had enough speed to evade after disrupting the timing. However, the speed at which the axe flew was faster than when it was swung directly. Even if he bound the enemy with divine energy, dealing with the flying axe would consume more mental energy.

Clang!

He deflected the White Dragon Axe with the Peach Blossom Heavenly Divine Armor. The deflected White Dragon Axe soared high into the sky.

Swish!

He thought he had blocked it, but it wasn’t over.

From the same throwing stance, the Coiling Dragon Chain, shot out from his sleeve, tried to entangle Myeong Geuk in an instant.

Whoosh!

Myeong Geuk used all his strength to activate the Swift Flight Footwork, escaping from the spot.

Clatter!

The Coiling Dragon Chain, which had tightened in a circle, collided with itself, making a rough sound.

Yeon Ho-Jeong quickly retrieved the Coiling Dragon Chain and reached for the iron rod that had fallen to the ground.

Whoosh.

Myeong Geuk’s eyes wavered.

He didn’t grab the Coiling Dragon Chain. The iron rod itself floated up and was caught in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s hand, its movement incredibly smooth and stable.

‘Telekinesis…’

Whoosh!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, holding the center of the iron rod and swinging it magnificently, lowered his stance.

Sizzle!

Around Yeon Ho-Jeong’s left foot, which was planted on the ground, a faint fire energy flickered.

From the White Tiger Art, which he used as naturally as breathing, he had now transformed his martial art into the Vermilion Bird Art.

‘I can’t figure it out.’

Myeong Geuk was genuinely flustered.

‘How many martial arts does he know?!’

Warriors who have reached the ultimate level do not learn many martial arts.

To be precise, even if they learn many martial arts, they usually end up combining them into one or choosing one and mastering it to the extreme.

The reason was simple. It was because they trained to be able to realize all their enlightenment with just one martial art.

However, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts were different.

Attack, killing technique, defense.

Each one was worthy of being called a supreme divine art, and while they were organically connected, they also had distinct individualities.

It was as if he had mastered several martial arts to the highest level. Moreover, they were not similar in feeling, but rather unique martial arts, making it difficult to respond to each moment.

‘The Guiding Calamity Divine Eye doesn’t work.’

The Guiding Calamity Divine Eye.

It was a technique that released the divine energy of the upper dantian to restrict the opponent’s movements.

The technique itself was something that anyone who had reached this level could do. However, the difference was that the Guiding Calamity Divine Eye blended into the opponent’s energy without any sign.

It worked even on an equal master, or even a master one level above. The way they responded might be different, but he had never seen anyone who was not affected by the Guiding Calamity Divine Eye.

Moreover, if one was repeatedly subjected to the Guiding Calamity Divine Eye, their concentration would also decrease. Just like Yeon Ho-Jeong a moment ago.

‘I can’t use it on that guy anymore.’

It was possible to use it, but it was meaningless.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s fighting style was more diverse and unconventional than any other master Myeong Geuk had ever seen. Before his ability to exploit weaknesses or create variables, he possessed an incredibly vast arsenal of combat techniques.

Before, he had implemented a few extraordinary combat techniques at a deep level, but now he was using dozens, even hundreds, of combat techniques with a shallow but definite rhythm.

Faced with such a variety of combat techniques, the Guiding Calamity Divine Eye was useless. The Guiding Calamity Divine Eye could only shine if one could roughly predict the opponent’s attack. Yeon Ho-Jeong’s attack methods were moving beyond the range that Myeong Geuk could predict.

“…Hoo.”

Myeong Geuk, letting out a light sigh, withdrew the Peach Blossom Heavenly Divine Seal.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

Although he had withdrawn his hand technique, there was still no opening. He could tell that his mindset had changed.

“You’re an amazing fellow.”

Myeong Geuk clenched his fist.

Whoosh!

The flickering golden energy was sucked into his fist.

“I thought I could break you easily.”

He had even been hit once by an axe. The gash on his right shoulder, he didn’t know how long it had been since he had sustained an injury.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly watching Myeong Geuk, reached out to one side.

Thud!

The White Dragon Axe, which had been lying on the ground, was caught in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s hand.

Clang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, letting go of the iron rod, took out the Black Dragon Axe as well.

If he didn’t use the martial arts of the upper dantian, then a conventional battle of strength would begin. The Heaven Piercer, with its axe blade gone, was no longer needed.

“Dual Axe Technique…”

Myeong Geuk nodded.

“It’s axes to the end, is it? The more I look at you, the more peculiar you are.”

Not only in the Central Plains martial world, but also in the outer regions, there was no history of anyone who wielded axes reaching this level.

Of course, it was a stage where the characteristics of weapons were becoming blurred, but he still couldn’t shake off the impression that it was unique.

‘He’s coming.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s stance lowered even further.

Whoosh!

The burning heart, the Vermilion Bird Fire energy, boiled to its peak, making every nerve in his body tingle.

‘I won’t use that technique anymore.’

Every time he used it, his response methods became incredibly diverse.

However, Myeong Geuk was not a fool either. It would be troublesome, but he wouldn’t be as flustered as before.

That meant that neither of them could inflict a decisive blow on the other.

Myeong Geuk’s eyes, his aura, his voice, all signaled that the true prelude to the fierce battle had begun.

Whoosh!

Intense heat emanated from Myeong Geuk’s body.

It was a heat that felt stuffy and damp, different from the Vermilion Bird Fire energy.

Myeong Geuk opened his mouth.

White smoke flowed from around his mouth.

“I don’t want to be bedridden… but against an opponent like you, I have no choice.”

In an instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes narrowed.

Bedridden? What did that mean?

At that moment, Myeong Geuk’s eyes emitted a bright blue light.

Bang!

The moment his fist struck the ground, something incredible happened.

‘What?!’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes wavered.

Whoosh!

Above the already cool night air, a strong wind blew, making his skin tingle.

Pat! Pat! Pat!

The burning peak danced wildly, then gradually decreased in size.

Whoosh! Swish!

Along with the tremendous wind, snowflakes began to fall.

No, they weren’t real snowflakes. However, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s divine eyes, which had been trained to the extreme, could see a blizzard that was like an illusion.

But the snow was not white. It was a bizarre blizzard with a yellowish color, as if the dirt of the wilderness had been mixed in.

‘A technique? No, is it a formation?’

It was similar, yet subtly different.

Myeong Geuk spoke calmly.

“I’ll finish you within fifty moves.”

Flash! Bang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s Black Dragon Axe and Myeong Geuk’s elbow collided, creating a strong heat.

A thick vein bulged on Myeong Geuk’s forehead. Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face also flushed red.

They were so close that they could hear each other’s breathing.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke.

“You’re a pathetic one.”

“…?!”

“I’ve clashed with you damned Three Teachings bastards countless times, but I’ve never seen anyone as messy as you.”

“…”

“You were just testing me with your useless tricks, and now it’s a technique? You’re a boring bastard.”

Myeong Geuk’s eyes flashed with killing intent.

“I’ll see if you’re still talking like that in an hour.”

Boom!

With an explosion, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body flew backward.

At the same time, the black and white twin dragon axes spun at high speed and flew towards Myeong Geuk.

Myeong Geuk’s eyes wavered.

The speed of the two axes flying in an arc was beyond imagination. And they were strong.

It wasn’t some ordinary flying sword technique. It was as if they were alive, radiating a vivid energy of their own.

‘Sword Control Technique!!’

Sword control, or rather, axe control, should it be called?

Whether it was sword control or axe control, it was an unavoidable attack.

Myeong Geuk’s twin fists spat fire.

Bang! Bang!

With explosions, Myeong Geuk’s body shook. Small cuts appeared on his two fists that had blocked the axes.

Thud!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had charged forward and retrieved the axes, swung the black and white twin dragons greatly.

Myeong Geuk, raising his head, felt his vision darken for a moment.

Whoosh!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, swinging the twin axes with his arms wide open.

It was as if he was being enveloped by huge wings of fire.

Even though his movements were large, there were no openings. Evading was impossible, he had to block it no matter what.

Myeong Geuk’s two fists were swung in both directions.

The Vermilion Bird Art, the Crimson Flame Six Kill Art’s Fire Wing Embrace, and the Peach Blossom Heavenly Divine Fist’s Twin Swift Waves collided.

Clang!

Now, it could be said that it was a battle worthy of high-level masters.

Power against power, dense bursts of energy collided, and an area with a radius of ten yards was devastated.

Cough!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been pushed back five yards, coughed up blood.

Myeong Geuk also retreated about ten steps and coughed up blood. Both of them had begun to suffer losses while using powerful martial arts.

It was then.

‘….?!’

Myeong Geuk’s eyes wavered.

‘How?!’

Yeon Ho-Jeong was approaching. The moment he recognized it, he had already reached a distance of one yard in front of him.

Flash!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, with his chin raised, looked down at Myeong Geuk, his eyes overflowing with a thick, red killing intent like a wave.

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

The two axes moved madly, attacking Myeong Geuk’s torso.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Clang! Clang! Clang!

It was a lightning-fast cleaving attack that moved as if possessed.

There was no sign of a mystical style. He was simply slashing at his opponent with two axes at an incredible speed.

The Crimson Flame Six Kill Art’s Twin Wing Flying Kill was unleashed dozens of times. It was a ferocious killing technique that could tear even steel to shreds.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Swish! Swish!

Before he knew it, both of Myeong Geuk’s sleeves had been reduced to powder and scattered.

The Peach Blossom Heavenly Divine Armor was pushed to its limit, blocking the Twin Wing Flying Kill, but his forearms were gradually turning red. Even with the Heavenly Divine Armor, he could not block dozens of axe strikes.

‘Fast! Where did this guy get such unbelievable stamina…’

At that moment, a streak of yellowish snow wind wrapped around Myeong Geuk’s neck and gathered at his legs.

Myeong Geuk’s eyes blazed.

In an instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong felt a tension that made his hair stand on end.

Wham!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body flew ten yards away from a straight upward kick.

Thud! Bang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had rolled on the ground several times, raised his head with a dismayed expression.

Whoosh!

The colored wind was swirling around Myeong Geuk’s limbs, slowly rotating. It was as if he was seeing a wind god living in the wilderness.

“I’m sorry if I disappointed you. It’ll be fun from now on.”

Bang! Bang!