Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 767

The earth-shattering gale that had been tearing through the land abruptly stopped, vanishing as if it had never been.

The true energy of those who had opened their meridians [pathways for energy flow] and soared into the sky, regardless of the martial arts they had mastered, invariably became infinitely close to that of nature itself.

Natural forces do not disappear in an instant. They gradually, and quite naturally, fade and dissipate.

Although it was an energy difficult to find in nature, the true energy of Gok Gyeong, who had reached the pinnacle of evil arts, also exhibited characteristics similar to natural forces. This would likely be the case for everyone who reached that realm, not just Gok Gyeong.

Yet, that power had stopped in its tracks and vanished without a trace.

“…Damn it.”

Gok Gyeong’s eyes deepened.

“I can’t just ignore it, and it’s really making things complicated.”

Where Gok Gyeong was looking, a large ball of fire was present.

Chiiiiik!

The ball of fire, perfectly spherical without any distortion, floated a foot above the ground.

The ground around the ball of fire looked like lava. The white smoke rising from the sizzling ground vanished the moment it touched the ball of fire.

The brilliantly burning flames were like beautiful jewels in themselves. Jewels of death that would burn anyone who dared to approach.

Gok Gyeong, who had been staring at the ball of fire, subtly shifted his step to the right.

Hwaaaak!

It was as if the heat itself had a will. The moment Gok Gyeong moved, the heat emanating from the ball of fire targeted him like a blade.

Gok Gyeong waved his hand.

Poong!

With an explosive sound, the formless heat scattered into nothingness.

Gok Gyeong’s face hardened slightly.

‘It’s vicious.’

The back of his hand, which had deflected the heat, was hot. It wasn’t enough to cause a burn, but it was a potent heat that had penetrated his evil energy defense.

Gok Gyeong, who had been standing still and staring at the ball of fire, turned his gaze far to the south.

“…This is infuriating.”

In the south, flamboyant demonic energy was blazing. The demonic energy was so potent and immense that even Yeon Ho-jeong’s domineering aura was barely perceptible.

‘It’s a powerful demonic art. It rivals mine… or perhaps it’s even superior.’

Gok Gyeong frowned.

‘It’s fundamentally different from the demonic arts of the Blood Demon Sect. This is a demonic art from the Central Plains. If so…’

Is it a Demonic Immortal?

‘If it’s truly a Demonic Immortal, and if that Demonic Immortal has joined hands with these guys…’

Gok Gyeong muttered a curse under his breath and, turning back to the ball of fire, shouted,

“Stop hiding and come out!”

Pa-ba-ba-ba-bak!

With the wicked shout, the ground all around burst open with a series of thuds.

Whoosh!

The massive ball of fire vanished like magic.

And from within, a grotesque figure emerged.

“…?!”

Gok Gyeong’s eyes flickered slightly.

Chiriring! Chiririring!

The grotesque figure was of enormous size.

His disheveled hair made it impossible to guess his age. A thick beard covered his entire chin and below his nose.

A torn top hung down to his thighs, and his pants were ripped and burned below his shins, revealing his bare feet.

His thigh muscles, bulging as if about to burst, filled his pants tightly, and his exposed chest was covered with large, hard muscles like rocks. A chain that diagonally crossed his imposing body from left to right exuded a tremendous sense of menace.

‘This is going to be troublesome.’

Gok Gyeong clenched his fist.

‘I’ll have to risk my life.’

He didn’t reveal even a hint of his energy. There was no sign of his unique intense flames or his vicious killing intent.

He was just standing there, yet Gok Gyeong’s instincts could sense the danger of his opponent.

Gok Gyeong opened his mouth.

“Who are you? Are you with the Divine Flame Church?”

“…”

“Well, I suppose you are. There’s no one else but the Divine Flame Church that can emit such insane fire energy.”

“…”

“You’re not much of a talker.”

Gok Gyeong cautiously took a step forward.

“Then…”

That was when it happened.

Thwack!

His body twitched.

Gok Gyeong slowly looked down at his chest. The center of his chest was pierced by a black chain.

“This… !”

Gok Gyeong, trembling, grabbed the chain with his left hand.

The grotesque figure, who was holding the chain with his right hand, silently pulled his arm.

Hwaak!

Gok Gyeong’s body, with a hole in his chest, disappeared from the spot like a mirage.

From within the grotesque figure’s face, hidden by his hair, a pair of red glows emanated.

Jjeo-eo-eo-eo-eong!

The grotesque figure, turning his body fluidly, raised his chained arms above his head.

And what pressed down on the center of the taut chain was Gok Gyeong’s hand blade.

Soon, Gok Gyeong’s foot kicked the grotesque figure’s chest.

Thud!

With a short, intense explosion, the grotesque figure was sent flying more than ten yards, smashing through a building.

“Hmm.”

Gok Gyeong, who had landed on the ground, brushed off his side. The clothing on his side was charred black and tattered.

“He’s not someone to let my guard down against.”

Surprisingly, Gok Gyeong’s chest was fine.

What the grotesque figure’s chain had pierced was an illusion created by Gok Gyeong’s evil arts. An illusion more real than reality, the pinnacle of all evil arts, the Illusory Scattering Evil Art, had revealed itself.

That martial art, which he had not fully unleashed when he had lightly exchanged blows with Yeon Ho-jeong.

Whoooong!

The area, which had been heated by the intense heat, cooled down due to the gray-black evil energy flowing from Gok Gyeong’s body.

It wasn’t just the temperature that had dropped. The eerie and chilling energy was stimulating the fear of living beings.

Thud, thud, thud!

The grotesque figure emerged from the rubble of the collapsed building.

He was no different than before. He looked perfectly fine.

‘So that’s how it is.’

Gok Gyeong turned his head towards the imperial palace.

‘Would it be better to lure that madman out of the palace?’

That was when it happened.

“That hurt.”

Gok Gyeong, startled, looked at the grotesque figure.

The grotesque figure, grabbing his neck, was turning his head from side to side.

“I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been hit like that. That’s quite a bit of power.”

His voice was low and resonant, befitting his massive size.

Gok Gyeong’s eyes deepened.

“I thought you were mute, but you can talk?”

“Ah, just now? I wasn’t in my right mind then. I was intoxicated.”

What he was intoxicated with, Gok Gyeong didn’t ask. That wasn’t important.

“Hoo, the world really doesn’t go my way.”

Whirr.

Red fire energy surged from the grotesque figure’s body.

It was the same as, yet different from, the fire energy of the Divine Flame Church members he had seen so far. While it was common for Divine Flame Church members to emit fire energy from their entire bodies to create a barrier of true energy, this grotesque figure was sporadically emitting palm-sized flames from various parts of his body.

That appearance made him look even more surreal than any other Divine Flame Church member. It was as if he were looking at a monster from a painting.

“If only a little more… if only a little more fire gathering had progressed, I could have broken through the Azure Flame and reached the White Flame in an instant.”

The grotesque figure smiled bitterly.

“But the heavens didn’t smile upon me, so there’s nothing I can do. I’ll have to leave it to someone else.”

“Stop talking nonsense that no one can understand.”

Crack. Crack.

From Gok Gyeong’s hands, a chilling sound echoed.

“It seems you have no intention of retreating quietly, so I’ll have to kill you here.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll die soon even if it’s not by my hand.”

“What?”

He spoke of his own death so confidently and calmly.

It was a statement that would make anyone who heard it wonder if it was a bizarre joke. But Gok Gyeong, seeing the grotesque figure’s red eyes, instinctively knew that his words were not a lie.

“Before I die, I must do my best as a guardian of the Divine Flame.”

“Oh, so you’re a guardian?”

“It’s because of you.”

“…?”

Chiririring.

The grotesque figure swept his hair back with both hands.

His features were distinct. But surprisingly, his features were those of a Westerner.

“If I hadn’t sensed your presence, I wouldn’t have come out. If that were the case, I would have broken through the Azure Flame, if not the White Flame.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“My name is Gi Woo-shin.”

“…?”

“I will not forgive you for making me return from a Fire God to a guardian of the church.”

The conversation ended there.

Kwaaaang!

With a massive explosion, Gi Woo-shin’s hand, which had been launched, grabbed Gok Gyeong’s collar.

Gok Gyeong’s eyes changed.

‘He’s fast!’

Not only was he fast, but his force was tremendous. The ground where Gi Woo-shin had kicked had a trench over a yard long.

Gok Gyeong, grabbing Gi Woo-shin’s arm that was holding his collar, pulled up his evil energy.

That was when it happened.

Thwack!

With an explosive sound, Gok Gyeong was pushed back five yards.

The front of Gok Gyeong’s clothes was completely burned, revealing his chest and solar plexus. The exposed skin was red and inflamed from the burn.

Gok Gyeong’s eyes wavered.

Gi Woo-shin raised his left hand.

“It’s called the Flame Lotus Explosion.”

He thought he would grab his collar and attack with his other hand, but the fire energy exploded from the hand that was holding him.

It was an unexpected blow. Gok Gyeong never imagined that he would so easily allow an attack.

Flash!

Gi Woo-shin, who had turned into a red line, was already high in the sky.

His long, thick leg, stretched straight above his head, looked like a pillar made of steel.

Gok Gyeong stepped on the ground and leaped.

Kwaaaang!

The area within a five-yard radius of where Gok Gyeong had been standing was shattered.

Whooong!

Gok Gyeong’s body, which had leaped up, flew straight towards Gi Woo-shin.

His movement was very strange. Even though he was flying in a straight line, he looked like a ghost floating freely in the air.

Gi Woo-shin’s body rotated.

Buaaaang! Thud!

The chain that had cut through the air split the ground and the wall in half.

Whoosh!

Gok Gyeong, who was already in front of Gi Woo-shin, placed his palms on his chest.

Kwaang!

With an explosive sound, Gi Woo-shin’s body flew away, creating a three-yard-long trench in the ground.

If a master of the highest level, or even a master beyond that, had been in that state, all the bones in their body would have been broken, and they would have been on the verge of death. There was a high possibility that they would have died instantly.

Thud!

But Gi Woo-shin got up perfectly fine and was swinging his chain.

He didn’t use the fire energy that was unique to the Divine Flame Church, which was like a force field that repelled the air. It was unknown whether he was skilled in close combat or if he was trying not to waste his energy.

‘He’s fast and strong. He’s definitely a worthy opponent, but…’

Gok Gyeong, while relieved by the flow of the battle, which was easier than expected, also harbored a hint of doubt.

‘Why does it feel like he’s not serious?’

Thud!

Gok Gyeong, stepping firmly again, raised his right hand.

Whoooong.

The gray-black mist wrapped around his right hand and his entire right arm.

It was an evil energy that was so difficult to describe in words that just looking at it would make one go blind and insane.

Gi Woo-shin flinched.

Hwaaaaaaaak!

It was as if the background around Gok Gyeong had suddenly darkened.

With his eyes filled with a wicked blue killing intent, Gok Gyeong, with a slightly hunched posture, approached step by step. He was the very embodiment of an evil god and a god of death.

“…Well, I don’t know what you’re aiming for.”

Kkiaaaaaak!

Gok Gyeong’s voice sounded strangely dreamlike.

Around him, the wails of ghosts began to echo. Even though it was clearly an auditory hallucination, Gi Woo-shin flinched.

The ghostly wails directly penetrated his mind.

This was also a natural attack through the resonance of the upper dantian [energy center in the body]. It was meant to strike the opponent’s mind, disrupt their composure, and prevent them from concentrating on the fight.

Regardless, Gok Gyeong was a master of evil arts. He had elevated every imaginable evil technique to an unstoppable level, unifying it with his martial arts.

“Since you’re going to die anyway, I’ll kill you faster.”

Gi Woo-shin laughed fiercely.

“Go ahead and try.”

Thwack!

No sooner had he finished speaking than Gok Gyeong’s hand grabbed Gi Woo-shin’s face and slammed it into the ground.

Kwaang!

“I was going to do that anyway, you troublesome bastard.”