Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1104

Clang, clang, clang!

Namgoong Seung’s face was as cold as frost as he deflected So Hyun-jong’s spear.

Whap, whap, whap! Clang!

So Hyun-jong’s hands and feet moved frantically against Namgoong Seung’s swordsmanship, which pressed in with godlike agility.

In terms of internal energy and techniques, Namgoong Seung was superior in every way.

However, it seemed that So Hyun-jong was a step ahead of Namgoong Seung in terms of combat experience. It was amazing how he wielded the nearly eight-foot-long spear like an extension of his limbs, but his martial arts, which allowed him to evade Namgoong Seung’s attacks with almost acrobatic movements, completely deviated from the principles of Central Plains martial arts [traditional martial arts practiced in the central regions of China].

Even so, So Hyun-jong was being pushed back.

Flash!

He deployed the Heavenly Thunder Sword, Heavenly Wind Sword, and Heavenly Fire Sword in the right places, slowly pressuring his opponent.

Namgoong Seung had no intention of rushing this fight just because a war had broken out and his allies were suffering heavy losses. After all, killing the enemy commander would somewhat compensate for the damage they had taken.

Namgoong Seung’s gaze turned to the distance.

At first glance, it seemed that the Shaanxi Murim [martial arts world of Shaanxi province] was being pushed back by the Silver Tiger Horse Soldiers’ charge. Even from this far away, the air was filled with a bloody haze, and it seemed that the total casualties on both sides would exceed two thousand.

From the hill to the open field, it had not even been two hours since they clashed with the enemy. In that short time, there had been over two thousand casualties, proving how cruel war truly was.

Moreover, seven out of ten of those casualties were on their side. Namgoong Seung could tell instinctively.

‘It can’t be helped.’

He struck So Hyun-jong’s right shoulder.

A crack ran through the shoulder armor. He had intended to blow off his shoulder with one strike, but he had failed.

Whoosh!

Namgoong Seung quickly retreated, dodging the spear strike that came up like a whip.

‘It can’t be helped. Each of us is fighting for our own justice. To establish my justice, I must be willing to give my life!’

He felt sympathy for the fallen allies, as well as for the enemy casualties who had been tainted by heretical doctrines.

However, he could not show mercy. He had to lead this war to victory by any means necessary.

Whoosh!

The Great Divine Art of the Azure Sky opened wide, unleashing boundless power.

Zzzzzing!

The sharp cry of the steel sword moved in diagonal lines to the left and right.

Clang!

So Hyun-jong, who had blocked the lightning-like sword energy, retreated madly.

Namgoong Seung’s eyes flashed.

‘He’s truly a remarkable one.’

His mastery of mounted combat was incredible, but his extraordinary skill was also evident in the one-on-one duel between martial artists.

Despite his large frame, which was well over six feet tall, and the fact that he was fighting in armor, albeit lightly forged, he was showing an agility that was almost on par with his own.

Furthermore, despite wearing armor with that level of protection, he was not charging recklessly but was instead dispersing the impact with flexible maneuvers.

Such patience was not something that could be easily displayed. This was not a matter of skill but of personality. It seemed like he was someone who could be more aggressive than anyone else when necessary, but also more composed than anyone else in other situations.

Krrrrrr!

The blazing Great Divine Art of the Azure Sky expanded the range of the force field around Namgoong Seung.

So Hyun-jong’s eyes flashed.

‘Something’s coming.’

The air became even heavier.

The pressure pressing down from all directions also increased. It wasn’t just that the pressure emanating from the Sword Saint had intensified; it felt like gravity itself had become stronger.

Namgoong Seung’s steel sword began to move with a heavy motion.

It seemed to rise slowly, but it was already coming down. There was a sense of heaviness within it, as if a giant were wielding the sword.

In that instant, So Hyun-jong felt the threat of death.

Flash!

He hurriedly retreated, but his movement speed slowed down in an instant.

‘I’m being sucked in.’

It was a terrifying suction force. It was as if there was a giant invisible sphere in front of Namgoong Seung’s descending sword, sucking in everything in the world.

Namgoong Seung’s strongest martial art, the Emperor’s Sword Form, was being unleashed. It was an unparalleled martial art that had reached the pinnacle of contemporary Central Plains swordsmanship.

‘Evading or defending is impossible.’

So Hyun-jong, having grasped the reality in an instant, suddenly kicked off the ground and charged forward.

Namgoong Seung’s eyes wavered.

The enemy commander, who had been retreating madly, suddenly charged forward with lightning speed. However, that speed was so fast that it was hard to believe even when seen with one’s own eyes.

‘This is bad!’

He poured even more power into the heavy sword strike of the Emperor’s Sword Form.

At that moment, So Hyun-jong’s spear was swung like a thunderbolt.

Clang!

With a tremendous explosion, Namgoong Seung was thrown back more than five yards.

His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were in tatters. The shockwave that burst as the power of the heavy sword strike was shattered was so great that even the Sword Saint of the world suffered internal injuries.

‘What about him?’

Flash!

Namgoong Seung was startled.

So Hyun-jong was charging at him, blood streaming from his nose and mouth.

His helmet was nowhere to be seen, and most of his upper body armor was broken. Naturally, he must have suffered considerable internal injuries as well.

Yet, he was charging so quickly?

‘His internal injuries will worsen.’

It was a reckless ferocity. It was an attack that would be impossible without a fighting spirit that did not care for one’s life, willing to risk injury to gain the upper hand.

Whack!

Namgoong Seung’s sword twisted like a snake, aiming for So Hyun-jong’s neck. He was skillfully twisting his body to evade the spear while also attempting a counterattack.

At that moment, Namgoong Seung saw So Hyun-jong’s spear suddenly twist and point towards the ground.

Clang!

With an explosion, the two men were thrown back again.

Blood finally trickled from the corner of Namgoong Seung’s mouth. So Hyun-jong was also coughing up blood, likely from overexertion.

Wiping the blood from his mouth, Namgoong Seung asked,

“What kind of martial art is that?”

He didn’t expect to be told, but his curiosity as a martial artist was piqued, and the words came out on their own.

Surprisingly, So Hyun-jong answered in a blunt voice.

“It’s called the Unveiling Mist Dragon Flash, and the Lightning Spear Step.”

“That’s an incredible martial art. It’s not something that cultists would train in. How can someone who has cultivated demonic arts use such powerful and profound techniques?”

Flash!

There was no answer.

So Hyun-jong, who had charged once more, unleashed a lightning-fast strike.

Namgoong Seung couldn’t help but be amazed.

It was a strike so fast and powerful that it couldn’t be contained even with the divine energy of his fully opened upper dantian [energy center in the body]. He didn’t know who created it, but in terms of sheer power, it seemed to be a step above even the Boundless Sword Art of the Azure Sky.

Whoooosh!

He combined the Heavenly Wind Step and the Heavenly Thunder Step, reaching a divine level of movement, and retreated to So Hyun-jong’s side, unleashing the Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes.

The Namgoong Clan’s fastest sword technique was unleashed by the Sword Saint. So Hyun-jong hurriedly twisted his body, but it was a bit too late.

Swish!

A deep sword wound appeared on So Hyun-jong’s left arm.

Whoosh!

Just as Namgoong Seung thought he had gained the upper hand and was about to prepare the Emperor’s Sword Form,

Flash!

A streak of light came right up to Namgoong Seung’s nose.

Startled, Namgoong Seung leaned back with an iron bridge. The spear, which had been shot like lightning, pierced through the air and soared high into the sky.

‘The sky?!’

It hadn’t been shot in a straight line but had curved and risen into the sky.

‘The Spear of the Other Side!!’

The Spear of the Other Side of the Unveiling Mist Dragon Flash.

What was surprising was what came next.

Flash!

The spear that had risen high into the sky instantly multiplied into more than ten spears and shot towards Namgoong Seung.

‘This can’t be!’

It was a technique that exuded tremendous internal energy.

Those who knew it called it the Dragon Riding Flash. It was an absolute technique that combined the mysteries of the Sword of the Other Side with spear techniques and internal energy to create an area-of-effect attack.

Thud!

Namgoong Seung, stomping hard on the ground, unleashed the Emperor’s Sword Form, Myriad Swords Burning the Heavens.

Krrrrrr!

A barrage of sword energy that erupted from around Namgoong Seung flew towards the dozen or so spear strikes.

Clang, clang, clang!

It felt like the heavens and earth were turning upside down. The tremendous pressure sent the two men flying in different directions.

Naturally, Namgoong Seung was the first to get up.

Cough!

Namgoong Seung, who had coughed up a mouthful of blood, flew towards So Hyun-jong again.

So Hyun-jong was just getting his stance right.

‘It’s over.’

It was then.

‘……?!’

In that instant, Namgoong Seung felt his vision waver.

It was just a feeling. In reality, So Hyun-jong, the ground, and the sky all looked perfectly fine.

‘Is it dark?’

His vision, which had felt like it was wavering, now seemed to be darkening.

Whack!

Namgoong Seung, stopping his charge due to an unknown sense of dread, retreated.

Fzzzz!

Faint smoke rose from various parts of Namgoong Seung’s body. The color of the smoke seemed strangely dark.

“So it’s finally activated.”

Thud!

So Hyun-jong, who had used telekinesis to pull the fallen spear into his hand, was panting.

“Your internal energy was impressive. I’ve never seen anyone last for more than an hour after inhaling the Demonic Illusion Powder. Perhaps it’s because most of it was burned away by your sword energy.”

“……You.”

Namgoong Seung shouted angrily.

“What did you do!”

“I used a cursed poison.”

A cursed poison? What kind of poison was that?

In that instant, Namgoong Seung recalled the strange smoke that had erupted around So Hyun-jong when he had unleashed the One Calamity Boundless Art earlier.

‘So that was it.’

Just in case, he had expanded the power of the One Calamity Boundless Art and burned it all away with the power of Yang. Or rather, he thought he had burned it all away.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case.

‘Even so!’

Whether it was poison or anything else, he should have been able to sense it the moment it entered his body. It wasn’t just because he was a master of the Limitless Path. Even a supreme master could sensitively detect external energy that had invaded their body.

‘I didn’t feel anything at all.’

His head was getting heavier and heavier.

It felt like a stone was hanging on the back of his head. His vision was fine, but his head was heavy, and his senses seemed to be blurring for some reason.

So Hyun-jong, who had been watching Namgoong Seung quietly, shook his head.

“It seems you only ingested a very small amount. Normally, your senses should have been completely scrambled.”

“Y-you.”

Thud!

The Great Divine Art of the Azure Sky blazed once more from Namgoong Seung’s body.

As he unleashed the divine art again, Namgoong Seung realized what part of his body was affected.

‘The upper dantian!’

The upper dantian, which had expanded to an area not allowed to humans, now seemed to have returned to its state before surpassing the Limitless Path.

His vision was wavering and darkening because his upper dantian was injured. It seemed like recovery was possible, but it would be difficult to fix the problem immediately.

“This won’t do.”

So Hyun-jong said, wiping the blood from his mouth.

“If you had inhaled just a little more, I could have killed you right here, but it seems that won’t be possible.”

“Shut your mouth! Even in war, for a martial artist like you to use poison is shameful!”

“They say the Tang Clan of Sichuan uses poison and hidden weapons as their main martial arts, so why don’t you curse them first?”

“You!”

“I wanted to end this fight if possible, but you’re more intact than I thought, so it won’t work. Your head is clouded, but your strength is still there…”

So Hyun-jong’s lips curled up.

“Just stay like that for a while.”

Whoosh!

So Hyun-jong immediately ran towards the bottom of the hill. It seemed he was trying to join his allies.

“You!”

Flash!

Namgoong Seung, who was following So Hyun-jong with swift footwork, felt a moment of dizziness.

His five senses were still working, but his sixth sense was erratic. So Hyun-jong’s energy would be sensed and then not sensed repeatedly.

Whap, whap, whap!

So Hyun-jong, who had been descending in a straight line, suddenly darted to the left.

He could see it clearly with his eyes, but his sixth sense could not follow his eyes.

He had to rely on his five senses to chase after him. Namgoong Seung roared and chased after So Hyun-jong.