Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1093

In a brief moment, Geukpae’s eyes turned to Mo Ja-Seon.

She possessed a beauty that seemed heaven-sent. A beauty so striking that it would draw praise from the distant island nations to the far reaches of the Western Regions.

However, there was nothing in that beautiful face. It was as if she lacked the emotions that a human should possess.

The only thing that proved she was human was one thing.

The faint blood vessels that rose in her coldly flickering eyes.

‘Ice Art!’

Geukpae tried to strike down Mo Ja-Seon’s wrist, which was gripping his collar.

Clang!

Surprisingly, even his sturdy arm could not knock away Mo Ja-Seon’s wrist.

It felt as if everything from his grabbed collar to his neck was frozen solid. It wasn’t just because of the Ice Art; the depth of her inner energy was immense. The energy flowing from her fingertips pushed back the power of his Golden Restraint Circulation Art [a technique that circulates internal energy], hardening his clothes and some of his skin.

Geukpae’s face contorted.

‘You bitch!’

He swung his palms on either side of Mo Ja-Seon’s face, intending to crush it with force.

Whack!

In an instant, Mo Ja-Seon’s hand released Geukpae, and her body spun around.

Bang!

A powerful shockwave erupted from the colliding palms.

Mo Ja-Seon was unaffected by the shockwave. The terrifying cold emanating from her entire body completely ignored the heat-filled shockwave.

Mo Ja-Seon’s rotating foot kicked Geukpae in the chest.

Thwack!

It was a fierce blow that made one instinctively call it reckless. The force of the blow sent Geukpae flying through the air like an arrow.

Thwack thwack thwack!

Mo Ja-Seon’s movement technique was also remarkable.

She burst forth with her inner energy in mid-air, quickly flying towards Geukpae. It was the pinnacle of aerial footwork.

The two of them were now quite far from the Divine Flame Church’s Red Flame troops. That was how aggressive Mo Ja-Seon’s attacks were.

Geukpae did not recklessly use aerial footwork. He let his body float in the air to dissipate the impact of the kick, then landed on the ground with both feet.

Thud!

The moment his feet touched the ground, a shockwave like an earthquake rippled through the area.

Mo Ja-Seon’s eyes, which had been flying through the air, flashed.

Cracks appeared in the ground, five yards wide around Geukpae’s feet. And between those cracks, crimson flames flickered.

It was a technique he had never seen before, but he could tell how fierce that energy art was. Even from a distance, his skin felt hot.

Geukpae roared.

‘Who are you!’

Along with the question, flames erupted from the cracked ground.

It was an extreme energy art that was chilling to behold. It was a martial art close to a sorcery, drawing heat by colliding the earth’s energy from the cracked ground, and using the power of fire to deploy a fire formation.

The Great Fire Bow Nine Dragon Formation.

It was a signature technique of the Divine Flame Church that could only be used by those who had reached the Heavenly Fire realm, and even among them, it was a top-tier martial art that was difficult to execute without overwhelming inner energy.

The nine streams of flames that erupted shot towards Mo Ja-Seon. Each of those flame streams was shaped like a dragon with its mouth wide open.

‘Unexpected.’

Even in the face of danger that seemed like it would turn her to ashes in one blow, Mo Ja-Seon felt a strange emotion.

‘It’s like they’re a pair.’

In the Ice Palace, there was a similar martial art that, to the untrained eye, might be mistaken as having branched off from the same technique.

White inner energy gathered on Mo Ja-Seon’s long, slender fingers. That inner energy instantly formed a huge blade.

It was a blade technique performed with a hand blade, the Ice Wave Severing Force.

It was a martial art that the Palace Lord of the Righteous Palace, Mo Ung-Baek, had used against Gang Ryang, but the level was completely different from what he had displayed back then.

Mo Ja-Seon’s body rotated.

Boom boom boom boom!

The heads of all nine fire dragons exploded and vanished.

Surprise flickered across Geukpae’s face.

The white blade extending from Mo Ja-Seon’s right hand was larger than a human body. It was the size of something a giant would wield.

Chiriririring!

It didn’t end there.

The cold energy that had overcome the fire shattered like fragments, turning into water, then quickly freezing again to form sharp shards.

Mo Ja-Seon’s left palm faced Geukpae.

Ping ping ping ping!

Numerous ice shards poured towards Geukpae.

‘You bitch!’

A crimson flame blade appeared on Geukpae’s right hand as well.

It was the Divine Flame Church’s ultimate martial art, the Fire Dragon Demon Blade. Surprisingly, the Fire Dragon Demon Blade he wielded seemed similar in form to Mo Ja-Seon’s Ice Wave Severing Force, differing only in attribute.

Whoosh!

The ice shards in the space where the Fire Dragon Demon Blade passed all evaporated.

Then, Mo Ja-Seon’s white blade in her right hand and Geukpae’s red blade in his right hand collided.

Clang!

The desolate land of Liaoning groaned under the intense shockwave.

The ground shattered and cracked in various places. The dry air was filled with moisture.

Geukpae’s eyes wavered.

Unlike himself, who had been pushed back by a full three yards, Mo Ja-Seon had rotated in place to neutralize the shockwave. In other words, she hadn’t retreated even a single step.

Even though he had struck from above, this difference was significant. Their inner energy seemed to be about the same, yet the difference in power was considerable.

‘Mutual Suppression?!’

Whack!

Mo Ja-Seon’s face, as she charged towards Geukpae, was still expressionless. It seemed as if she wouldn’t even twitch an eyebrow even if her limbs were torn off and sent flying.

It was like looking at a living ice doll. Geukpae felt a chill run down his spine.

Whack!

After charging, she lowered her stance and swung the Ice Wave Severing Force from below.

Although the distance had increased, Geukpae didn’t dare to retreat. He had to change direction entirely to evade it.

Whoosh!

A five-yard-long blade scar appeared on the groaning earth.

The ground split by the scar slowly turned white. The cold energy had penetrated it.

‘Crazy!’

Even if he didn’t know anything else, he knew that her hand blade technique was clearly superior.

After evading, Geukpae charged at Mo Ja-Seon again and swung a massive fist. This was also a signature technique of the Divine Flame Church, the Eight Fists of the Flame King.

Mo Ja-Seon’s eyes flashed.

Clang!

Even though they were mutually suppressing each other, each of Geukpae’s martial arts contained immense power. If she failed to neutralize them in time, even Mo Ja-Seon would suffer serious damage.

Of course, Mo Ja-Seon was not careless.

It had been a while since she had experienced real combat, but she was someone who had risen to the position of Palace Lord by shedding countless amounts of blood. The memories of that time still lingered in her entire body.

Mo Ja-Seon, who had evaded the Eight Fists of the Flame King, also had a chilling, pale blue energy surrounding her fist.

It was the Ice Palace’s signature technique, the Thirteen Fists of the White Dragon.

Clang! Clang clang!

They clashed with the Eight Fists of the Flame King, but with each exchange, Geukpae suffered losses.

He couldn’t tell who his opponent was, but Geukpae had to admit it. The quality of her inner energy was superior to his own.

He might have more quantity, but the depth of her cold energy was a step above his Golden Restraint Circulation Art. It was only a difference of one step, but because of their mutual suppression, the difference manifested as if it were three or four steps.

‘Damn it!’

Whack whack whack!

He unleashed a three-move combo: Fire Dragon’s Debut, Flame Demon’s Crown, and Great Fire Transformation.

Each fist carried a heavy force. When the Eight Fists of the Flame King reached its peak, it was a peerless technique that could crush and melt steel with the power of the fist alone.

However, even that great martial art was meaningless in the face of Mo Ja-Seon’s fist technique.

The White Dragon’s Exit from the Palace, Dragon’s Tail Return, and Dragon’s Roar of Snow Wind from the Thirteen Fists of the White Dragon completely shattered Geukpae’s powerful fist strikes.

‘……!!’

At this moment, both Mo Ja-Seon, who was shattering the Eight Fists of the Flame King, and Geukpae, who was being pushed back by the Thirteen Fists of the White Dragon, were equally surprised.

The two’s martial arts were vastly different, but the flow of their techniques was somewhat similar. If one delved deeper, they were aiming for completely different points, but the overall framework of their movements was similar.

‘A kindred spirit?!’

Whack!

Mo Ja-Seon was the first to regain her senses.

She retracted the Thirteen Fists of the White Dragon and immediately extended her hand again.

In an instant, the air contracted, and a tremendous cold wind arose. It was as if the world was turning white. In that white world, transparent ice shards were being sucked into her palm.

The absolute martial art that only the Ice Palace Lord’s Northern Sea Sinking Heaven Art could handle, the Ice Soul Divine Palm, had been unleashed.

In that instant, Geukpae felt death.

The swirling, massive cold energy. It was as if he had been dropped on a snowy hill in the night, with no moon or stars.

‘Ughhh!’

He wanted to evade, but he couldn’t. His movements had slowed due to the cold energy that had penetrated him while recklessly clashing with fist techniques.

In the end, all he could do was draw up as much fire energy as possible to expel the cold energy while exchanging blows.

Geukpae’s palms were swung like lightning. Even though he hadn’t intended to suppress his opponent with the same martial art, the palm technique came out on its own.

The swirling fire palm force. It was the Fiery Heat Divine Palm.

A dark, pale blue sphere and a rotating red and white sphere collided.

Clang!

It was as if a storm had swept through the area.

Geukpae’s body was flung back more than ten yards, scraping along the ground due to the insane wind.

His body, which had rolled on the ground, was a mess. Various parts of his body were turning blue, as the cold poison had risen from being hit by the ice fragments caused by the Ice Soul Divine Palm.

On the other hand, Mo Ja-Seon was fine. Her clothes were torn in places, and her hair was disheveled, but compared to Geukpae, she looked not only fine but even lively.

‘Uweck!’

Geukpae vomited a mouthful of blood.

The fire energy was shaking unstably. The Golden Restraint Circulation Art was not working properly. It felt like it was constantly creaking, like sitting on a chair placed on a tightrope.

‘What is that woman? Where did such a monster come from!’

In that moment, Geukpae thought of the battlefield.

‘Ambush!’

He finally regained his senses. He quickly adjusted his stance.

Whack whack whack!

The adjusted stance immediately became precarious. Mo Ja-Seon, seizing the opportunity, approached like lightning and kicked his legs out from under him.

He didn’t expect that a woman who had reached the Heavenly Fire realm would engage in such a reckless fight. Geukpae endured the pain and unleashed the Fiery Heat Divine Palm.

Clang!

Mo Ja-Seon’s eyes flashed.

She didn’t strike at him but at the ground, causing an explosion. Before he knew it, Geukpae’s body was heading towards the battlefield.

‘……!!’

Geukpae’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

More than half of the five thousand troops that had been climbing the hill were sent flying in all directions. The entire hill was stained with blood.

‘No!’

Whoosh!

Mo Ja-Seon, who had stepped on the air and landed in front of Geukpae, spoke coldly.

‘What do you mean, no?’

Crack!

Mo Ja-Seon’s right hand, which had broken Geukpae’s shoulder with her left fist, immediately aimed for his chest.

Geukpae, who instinctively tried to block with his arms, felt his vision darken as the Golden Restraint Circulation Art failed to work properly once again.

Thwack!

The massive white blade pierced through his two forearms and chest.

Thud.

Falling arms. Geukpae’s body trembled.

He wanted to kick her away, but the cold energy that had instantly consumed his entire body wouldn’t allow it. Moreover, the cold white blade had pierced through even a part of his fire energy, the source of his life.

Mo Ja-Seon spoke coldly.

‘Because your fire energy makes you recover quickly, I was told to either blow off your head or melt your internal organs.’

Flash!

Geukpae’s body split in two.

Yet, there was no blood. The two halves of his body had already frozen solid.

Mo Ja-Seon took a deep breath. Even though they were mutually suppressing each other, it had still taken a considerable amount of inner energy.

But that was only for a moment.

Whack!

She charged towards the rear of the Red Flame troops.