Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1061

The Last One (4)

Cheon Hyo-rak was being carried on Hwa-hyang’s back.

Due to his innate affliction, despite mastering supreme martial arts, he was unable to fight. Cheon Hyo-rak felt regret over this fact, but he did not let despair ruin his life.

However, now, Cheon Hyo-rak felt a despair close to hopelessness.

‘Senior Brother.’

Having spent a harsh childhood, he had been carving out his own path without relying on anyone.

However, the death of his lord and father had dealt him a great shock.

Only then did Cheon Hyo-rak realize that he had been deeply relying on his father. He had simply not shown it, nor had he even considered understanding it himself.

After his father’s death, when the situation in the Demonic Sect had settled, Mak Won remained.

Mak Won took care of Cheon Hyo-rak like an older brother, and sometimes like a father.

He didn’t do anything particularly grand, but the words he casually tossed out were full of warmth. Sometimes, they would drink heavily and laugh together.

Before he knew it, Mak Won had become a benefactor to Cheon Hyo-rak, almost like a blood relative.

He was the one who had filled the void left by his father, even without intending to. Even for Cheon Hyo-rak, whose nature was far from weak, Mak Won’s presence had become as significant as Hwa-hyang’s.

And now, that man was sending them away and was about to fight against an unknown threat. Moreover, that threat was so fierce and powerful that even Mak Won was tense.

‘If only I could use my martial arts freely.’

The Heavy King Demonic Art was one of the top demonic arts in the Demonic Forest, but it was not the best.

Yet, the reason he had chosen the Heavy King was because the Heavy King Demonic Art itself was a martial art that was adept at drawing out the senses of the human body to their limits, and grasping and manipulating the essence of the qi [life force] floating in the air.

Despite being a demonic art, it was specialized in manipulating natural qi, such as levitation, walking on air, and controlling air pressure. He had no doubt that this kind of martial art would be of great help in curing his innate affliction.

In fact, his father had said that if he reached the tenth level, he would be able to overcome his innate affliction and manifest his martial arts.

After that, he was told to cultivate the Heaven-Breaking Art and aim for the ultimate realm.

‘Why am I always like this at the crucial moment?’

He was unable to stop Mok Gye-dam’s scheme and had to ask for help from the Martial Alliance, and then he was helpless in the face of his father’s death.

And now.

He was running away without even being able to watch Mak Won, who had become a precious connection, struggle in the swamp of death.

Whoosh!

Unstable demonic energy began to leak from Cheon Hyo-rak’s body.

Activating his physical senses through internal energy manipulation had been possible for a long time. However, there had never been a case where unstable internal energy leaked out like this.

Surprise flickered across Hwa-hyang’s face.

“Young Master!”

Cheon Hyo-rak did not hear her worried cry.

The Heavy King Demonic Art had grown in front of Great Master Gong Gong’s Great Ability of Nothingness, and after the Demonic Forest collapsed and his father died, he had reached the ninth level.

With only one step left to reach the tenth level, Cheon Hyo-rak’s vast internal energy was instead choosing the path of collapse.

Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes glazed over.

‘Why must I always despair?’

Why does this rotten body even function?

Has this soft body, which can only watch helplessly when precious connections are in danger, ever given me any emotion other than despair?

‘I want to die.’

What meaning would there be in this life if everyone else died and I was the only one left alive?

Trickle.

Blood flowed from Cheon Hyo-rak’s nose and mouth.

Hwa-hyang was startled when she saw the blood soaking her shoulder.

“Young Master!”

Hwa-hyang stopped her movement and quickly sat Cheon Hyo-rak against a large tree, her face urgent.

“Pull yourself together! It’s dangerous!”

It was a qi deviation [a dangerous imbalance of internal energy].

The true qi, which moves only by one’s will and not by hands or feet, is greatly affected by a person’s mental state.

Usually, it is rare for true qi to go berserk just because a person is in despair or extremely happy. The martial arts of the Demonic Heretics are an exception, but even then, if it is a martial art as complete as the Heavy King Demonic Art, there is not much difference in stability compared to any divine art.

Yet, the fact that he was in this state now meant that Cheon Hyo-rak’s despair was that deep.

Swish!

Hwa-hyang’s face turned pale.

Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes, which were lowered, looked more lifeless than a dead fish’s eyes. The amount of blood flowing from his nose and mouth was small, but its color was dark, making it look dangerous to anyone.

But what was more serious than that was the demonic energy emanating from his whole body.

The demonic energy that even Hwa-hyang, a supreme master, found difficult to approach rose like a cloud. Even in the absurd reality that martial arts manifestation was impossible, Cheon Hyo-rak’s internal energy, built up with all sorts of elixirs and enlightenment, was several times greater than Hwa-hyang’s.

Moreover, now that he was on the verge of mastering the Heavy King Demonic Art, Cheon Hyo-rak’s demonic energy boasted a much higher quality than Hwa-hyang’s.

With that much demonic energy pouring out as if to turn the entire mountain into hell, Hwa-hyang could only stomp her feet in frustration.

“Young Master!!”

Cheon Hyo-rak’s ear twitched.

In a world of despair upon despair, he, who had been kneeling in an empty space, slowly raised his head.

‘What is that?’

A ray of light was shining down.

Beyond that light, which was so out of place for him, he saw Hwa-hyang’s large eyes.

‘Who is that?’

They were tearful eyes. Those eyes, filled only with worry, resembled his mother from his hazy childhood.

‘Mother.’

His mother, who had fallen ill and passed away after giving birth to his younger sibling.

Tears flowed from Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes.

‘Why have I become like this?’

He had once resented his father and mother for giving birth to him like this.

But not now. It was absurd to resent the parents who had made him know the joy of life.

He just whispered his frustrated and upset feelings to his parents, who were nowhere to be found.

‘There are too many of my precious people who have died to look forward to the future.’

His father, his mother.

And now, even Mak Won.

‘Do I even deserve to live like this?’

It was then.

“Who said someone died?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Cheon Hyo-rak looked behind him.

“Father?!”

There was Hyeok Ryeon-hwi. His father, who was called the Demonic Immortal and had reigned as the strongest in the Demonic Martial World.

Hyeok Ryeon-hwi said in a blunt voice.

“He is not dead. He is only fighting. But you have already killed him in your heart.”

“……?!”

“Even if he were to die, it would only be his choice. Even if you master the Heavy King to the tenth level and overcome your affliction, do you think you could save him if you haven’t cultivated the Heaven-Breaking Art?”

“But!”

“Your despair and worries are meaningless at this moment. I cannot understand why you are despairing and worrying.”

“Many people have died because of me! Even though I could have fought with them, I only sought survival under the excuse of my affliction! I’ve lived like that for over twenty years, how can I… !”

“Then go forward.”

“…Yes?”

“Rather than despair like that, go back and die with him, even with a body that cannot fight.”

“…!!”

“As your parents, I do not want to interfere with your life and choices. You are my child, but you are you. Every moment’s choice determines life, and if you are willing to die, then going to die is also a life that is true to you, isn’t it?”

“……”

“If you have the will to fight but not the will to die, then at least this place is not your battlefield. Keep running away until you find a life that is true to you.”

“Run away…”

“Running away is not shameful. What is truly shameful is when you discover yourself regretting the fact that you ran away.”

Cheon Hyo-rak’s eyes, which had been filled with despair and sorrow, became bloodshot.

“I have already found my own life. Yet, I ran away out of habit.”

“……”

“I will not run away anymore.”

Hyeok Ryeon-hwi nodded and stepped back.

With each step he took back, his figure darkened.

“Even if you die right now, it does not invalidate the feelings of those who loved and cherished you.”

“Father.”

“Go. Go and confirm that your life was already yours, and seize it once more.”

After Hyeok Ryeon-hwi completely disappeared.

Flash!

The darkness disappeared, and the whole world was filled with light.

“Cough!”

Cheon Hyo-rak, who had returned to reality, coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Young Master!”

The demonic energy that had seemed to cover the entire mountain had disappeared. Hwa-hyang hurriedly tried to approach him.

But.

‘……?!’

Hwa-hyang’s eyes widened.

Cheon Hyo-rak, who had naturally assumed a cross-legged position after coughing up blood. There was no longer any despair in his half-opened eyes.

It was said that in the Taoist Hyunmun [a school of Taoism], one would cough up blood when attaining great enlightenment.

Even though Cheon Hyo-rak had cultivated demonic arts, he had gone through a process similar to the enlightenment of Hyunmun. His spirit, which had swept through the depths of his emotions in an extremely short moment, had risen to a realm that was incomprehensible by the physiology of demonic studies.

Whoosh!

The demonic energy that had disappeared rose again like fire.

Unlike before, when it was dense but unstable, his aura, which was rough like fire but maintained a stable state, resembled a bonfire dancing in a place without a single breeze.

‘This is?!’

Hwa-hyang swallowed hard.

‘The Heavy King Demonic Art is changing.’

Cheon Hyo-rak, who had everything prepared but was unable to manifest his martial arts due to his affliction, was beginning to bloom the tenth level of the Heavy King Demonic Art through a short and profound enlightenment.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of bones breaking echoed from all over his body. At the same time, his skeleton changed little by little.

It was the soaring of a young demonic dragon that had been fighting despair in silence for a long time.

* * *

Bang!

So Hyun-rip’s body was pushed back five steps by the impact of Mak Won’s White Lightning Spear strike, which had been launched like a cannonball.

Zzzing! Zzzing!

An unusual sound came from the shaft of the straight White Lightning Spear.

Mak Won, who was glaring at So Hyun-rip with the spear extended, grabbed the end of the shaft with his left hand.

“You’re not thinking of dying like that, are you?”

“……”

“When are you going to show me your martial arts?”

So Hyun-rip shook off the shaft of the Black Obsidian Spear.

The power of Mak Won that had been wrapped around the shaft shattered and scattered.

“I can’t understand it.”

He spoke leisurely in a posture close to natural.

Yet, there were no openings. That was the reason why Mak Won was not attacking So Hyun-rip.

“The old men in the sect who never die considered your martial arts a masterpiece that would mark a milestone in the history of the Mujong [Martial Sect].”

“How was it when you received it?”

“That’s why you shouldn’t trust the words of old men who cling to life even when it’s time for them to die.”

So Hyun-rip’s posture lowered.

His right hand gripped the middle of the shaft firmly, and his left hand lightly held the end of the shaft.

It was a slightly unconventional yet exemplary spear technique posture.

Whoosh!

Just by taking a proper stance, the aura changed. Tension settled on Mak Won’s face.

“It is certainly an excellent martial art, but it is not something to make a fuss about. I will shatter your martial arts from the roots with my martial arts.”

“Go ahead and try.”

It was then.

Whoosh!

An unusual flow of demonic energy was felt from the distant mountains.

Mak Won’s eyes wavered.

The corners of So Hyun-rip’s mouth curled up.

“It’s still difficult.”

Flash!

The black obsidian flash pierced Mak Won’s arm in an instant.