Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1135

“Kuh!”

A stifled groan escaped Jima Hoo’s lips.

The point where her demonic energy had permeated every strand of her hair was long past. From this height, even if a master struck with all their might, she wouldn’t have received a significant impact.

Yet, her insides churned, and a shock that felt like her back was breaking made her vision blur.

‘Why?’

Along with the question, she sensed imminent danger.

‘Danger!’

Thud! Bang!

Barely dodging with the Jima Flying Step, a black hand axe was embedded up to its handle in the spot where she had been standing.

It was the Black Dragon Axe of the Black and White Twin Dragons. Though it wasn’t the Sword of the Raging Wind, it was an attack with enough power to tear off a limb if it landed.

Chiriring!

With her hand and sword completely bound, Jima Hoo couldn’t fully evade.

“Haaah!”

With a shout, she unleashed the Heavenly Demon Art to its limit and forcefully swung her arm.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s arm muscles bulged.

It was monstrous strength. Jima Hoo’s inner energy was incredibly abundant, and her unleashed demonic art was wantonly manipulating the surrounding natural energy, even hindering her opponent’s breathing.

It was a demonic art that even a master of the Saintly Heaven [a hypothetical high-level martial arts realm] would find difficult to face head-on. It wasn’t a matter of power but of nature. It was encroaching on the surroundings, polluting the opponent’s breathing, stamina, and even their true energy.

‘This is true demonic art.’

This was the true power of demonic art that the history of the martial world had so feared.

The demonic arts of the priest leaders she had fought in Qinghai [a region in China] were somewhat altered and twisted. Their power was more than enough, but the encroaching and polluting abilities unique to demonic arts were not strong. Even the demonic art of the previous sect leader, who had parasitized another’s body, hadn’t shown its full power because his essence, energy, and spirit weren’t unified.

But Jima Hoo was different.

The demonic art she was currently displaying was worthy of being called orthodox demonic art. The rebellious energy unique to demonic art, which had once terrified the world, was vividly clear.

Unlike other demonic arts that had undergone changes and improvements to suit the times, this was an ancient demonic art that hadn’t changed a single formula.

Precisely because of this, Yeon Ho-Jeong was confident of victory in this fight.

Whoooosh!

A faint golden true energy flowed through the Coiling Dragon Chain, encroaching on Jima Hoo’s blade.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In an instant, Jima Hoo’s entire arm, bound by the Coiling Dragon Chain, was dyed gold.

‘Wh-what is this?!’

Jima Hoo was flustered.

‘My demonic energy is cut off?!’

The demonic energy that had been boiling the air was also gradually fading.

It wasn’t her intention. There was no reason for it to be.

Jima Hoo contorted her face and poured in all her power.

Thwack!

She pulled her arm with all her might, but in that instant, the weight on the chain vanished.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been pulled forward by her force, unleashed the third stance of the Raging Wind Nine Dragon Slayer, the Mountain Crushing Strike.

Kwaaaang!

The shock was so intense that her vision blurred.

She dodged with the Jima Flying Step, but the force of the powerful strike that had created a huge crater in the ground made her bones feel like they were shattering.

“Uwaaah!”

Jima Hoo charged straight ahead.

For a moment, her demonic energy had been broken down and couldn’t exert its full power, but even in that unbelievable situation, she somehow found a way out. The way she found was head-on.

Thwack! Thwack!

Jima Hoo’s leg techniques landed all over Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

She was definitely an extraordinary master. In a situation that would have flustered anyone, she charged straight ahead and attacked with rapid leg techniques. Her rich combat experience was evident.

But.

Clang!

Blood spurted from Jima Hoo’s mouth.

She had landed seven blows with leg techniques that hadn’t exerted their full power, but Yeon Ho-Jeong’s leg technique struck her upper body with the force of a cannonball.

The amount of shock was enormous. It felt like a steel pillar had flown and hit her. If she hadn’t achieved the Demonic Body, her upper body would have been blown away.

Thud!

Even with such an attack, Jima Hoo didn’t give up. Gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, she struck Yeon Ho-Jeong’s wrist with an upward leg technique.

Whoosh!

The Raging Dragon Axe flew into the air.

Striking the opponent’s hand to make them drop their weapon. It was an amazing response, an incredible finesse.

However, Jima Hoo couldn’t be happy. She realized that she hadn’t made him drop the weapon by hitting his hand, but that he had released the weapon before being hit and dissipated the impact of the leg technique with his palm.

Thwack!

Jima Hoo’s mouth fell open.

A headbutt strike at close range. Her forehead collided with his, and it felt like she had been hit by a hammer clad in iron.

Her mind went blank for a moment, but still, Jima Hoo moved. Her accumulated combat experience, her instincts, her martial arts made her body move.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Quickly creating distance, she focused the Heavenly Demon Art on both arms.

‘…!’

Jima Hoo’s eyes widened as she regained her senses.

‘It’s working?!’

The demonic energy began to gather.

Kikikiking!

Shaking the end of the bound Coiling Dragon Chain and creating a subtle opening, she pulled out her left hand.

Thud!

She had to endure damage for the brief moment it took to pull out her left hand.

Jima Hoo spat out blood once more from the force that had flown, ignoring the mid-range distance.

If her condition had been normal, she would have questioned why the force had struck her left chest instead of aiming for her head in this opening.

But she was desperate and didn’t have the time to think about such things.

Jima Hoo swung her left fist at Yeon Ho-Jeong. It was the Mad Demon Fist of the Mad Blood Sect.

Kwarurung!

The blackish-gray fist wind that erupted from her fist shot towards Yeon Ho-Jeong with a terrifying force.

Jima Hoo had been on the receiving end so far, but as long as they were connected by the Coiling Dragon Chain, Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t evade beyond a certain distance. Jima Hoo had no doubt that her strike would cause considerable internal damage to her opponent.

Whoosh! Thud!

Jima Hoo’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Crazy!’

Yeon Ho-Jeong casually waved his right hand, which wasn’t holding the Raging Dragon Axe, and shattered the fist wind of the Mad Demon Fist.

That’s right. It was literally shattered.

The difference in their realms wasn’t that great. Of course, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s realm was higher than hers, but Jima Hoo’s martial arts were also powerful enough that he could be defeated if he was careless.

In other words, they could have had a close match, but how could such an opponent shatter a fist wind that she had unleashed with all her might with just one hand as if flicking it away?

“As I thought.”

Even after achieving such an unbelievable feat, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s expression was calm.

“You guys are easy.”

Whoosh!

A strong killing intent rose from Jima Hoo’s body.

“You, do you really want to die?!”

“What’s with the sudden question when we met to kill each other?”

Chiriring!

Jima Hoo’s eyes trembled. Yeon Ho-Jeong had directly moved the Coiling Dragon Chain to release her arm.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was now holding the Raging Dragon Axe that had been floating in the air, connected the Coiling Dragon Chain to the end of the shaft.

“Come. I’ll kill you.”

Jima Hoo’s eyes, which had been looking down at her arm, gradually filled with madness.

“If you were trying to provoke me, you’ve completely succeeded.”

The hand holding the Demon Slayer Blade turned white.

“You won’t die a peaceful death!”

Whoosh!

The Jima Flying Step was unleashed to its limit.

Her movements were too fast to be seen with the naked eye. That’s how fast her footwork was.

Thwack! Bang!

She charged straight ahead and then suddenly moved to the side, the speed so fast that it caused the air to explode.

Flash!

The Demon Slayer Blade split into dozens, aiming for Yeon Ho-Jeong’s entire body.

Whoooosh!

The four stances of the Dragon Martial Arts, Dragon Head Slash, Dragon Cry Slash, Dragon Blade Slash, and Dragon Dance Slash, were unleashed in a single flow.

It was a series of attacks so powerful that it seemed like it could tear down an entire mountain. Her murderous intent was so intense that it seemed like she would erase Yeon Ho-Jeong’s existence itself with this attack.

That’s when it happened.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The dozens of dragon-shaped sword energies were blocked by a semi-transparent golden octagonal shield that had sprung up from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s side.

It was a shield that looked like a turtle’s shell. Shock appeared on Jima Hoo’s face.

‘Again!!’

It was shocking that her sword techniques were blocked, but she saw that the demonic energy that had touched the inner energy shield before the techniques had crumbled like a sandcastle.

‘Neutralized?!’

In that instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong swung the Raging Dragon Axe with terrifying force.

Kwaaang!

Jima Hoo’s body flew about twenty yards.

It was an overwhelming force, a single strike of monstrous power that transcended the common sense of martial arts. It was the Ruthless Strike of the Raging Wind Nine Dragon Slayer.

Crack! Crack!

Jima Hoo, who had barely regained her balance while spitting out blood, felt the world darken for a moment.

She looked up at the sky and saw that Yeon Ho-Jeong had already approached and was bringing down a huge axe.

More shocking than the terrifying speed was the golden flame flickering around the descending axe. It felt like she was facing the Yang Energy of the Divine Flame Sect [a hypothetical martial arts sect], and a pain that felt like her skin was burning rose up.

It was the Mountain Crushing Strike of the Raging Wind Nine Dragon Slayer.

Kwaaang!

Jima Hoo’s legs trembled.

She unleashed the Dragon Martial Arts, Ascending Demonic Dragon Stance, but the force of the descending axe was too strong. This strike had twisted her ankles and dislocated her joints.

Crack!

She immediately healed her body with the regeneration ability unique to demonic arts, but in that time, the Raging Dragon Axe was already flying again.

Jima Hoo’s eyes widened.

Whoooosh!

The black axes filled the sky.

It was as if dozens of Raging Dragon Axes, scattered like illusions, were pouring down like a rainstorm. It was the fifth stance of the Raging Wind Nine Dragon Slayer, the Rainstorm Descending Dragon.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

This was what a natural disaster must be like.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s upper dantian [an energy center in the body], amplified by the Divine King Energy, unleashed an unparalleled attack, fueled by his powerful desires and imagination.

Crack!

Jima Hoo retreated, covered in blood. The Demon Slayer Blade she was holding was already cracked in several places.

‘Why?’

Jima Hoo couldn’t understand.

‘Why isn’t my demonic energy working properly?’

She should have been able to stop the internal bleeding beyond her joints and add strength to her muscles to immediately launch herself. That was how the original Heavenly Demon Art should have worked.

But when the opponent’s true energy penetrated, her demonic energy scattered and couldn’t fulfill its role. Even when she tried to forcibly raise her inner energy, it cowered like a frightened cat and wouldn’t budge.

‘Why…?!’

Jima Hoo raised her head.

At that moment, she saw a giant dragon.

Krrrruuuumble!

The giant dragon, which was tearing through the earth like an illusion, was writhing madly with its mouth wide open.

Jima Hoo knew that the dragon was an illusion created by the axe connected to the chain.

But it wasn’t just an illusion. The storm of true energy, created by the extreme upper dantian energy, was so well-formed that it made her think that if a dragon existed, it would surely be like this. It struck Jima Hoo directly.

It was the sixth stance of the Raging Wind Nine Dragon Slayer, the Raging Dragon Sprint.

Kwarurururung!!

Along with the explosion, Jima Hoo recognized that her body was disintegrating.

And.

‘So that’s it.’

She realized why Yeon Ho-Jeong had provoked her.

‘That guy has mastered a martial art that is the opposite of demonic art.’

The more she unleashed her demonic art, the more she increased the density of her demonic energy and released her power, the easier it became for him to counter it.

‘He released the chain because he wanted me to attack with all my might. That way, the fight would end quickly.’

The fact that he had bound her with the chain and used kicks and headbutts was also to draw out all her power. Because it was a humiliating attack. Anyone would be angry.

Pshhhhh.

One of Jima Hoo’s eyes turned to dust and scattered.

In her remaining eye, she saw Yeon Ho-Jeong’s back. He was already sending a black hand axe to the distant battlefield.

‘…Damn bastard.’

He didn’t see her as an opponent worth fighting, but as someone who was already dead.

It was just a matter of when she would die, he had already won.

Jima Hoo’s one eye closed.

The closed eyelid scattered, and the remaining eye reappeared.

‘Can’t I even close my eyes?’

Time began to flow faster and faster.

Clang! Clang!

The Raging Dragon Axe, which had devastated an area of about ten yards in radius, returned to its owner according to Yeon Ho-Jeong’s will.

Thud.

On the overturned ground, the remains of the Demon Slayer Blade, with only the handle left, fell.