Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1292

Kwa-rung!

Thunder erupted from the sword.

A massive, light-green sword aura exploded, bisecting the center of a warship.

Kwa-deuk! Pu-pung!

“Uwaaagh!”

“Aaaagh!”

A single strike had cleaved a warship in two.

It was smaller than the Empire’s warships, and even those of the Janggang River pirates, but it was still large enough to hold at least ten people.

He had split such a warship with a single strike. A sword aura capable of cleaving a house-sized boulder would have no trouble with a warship made of wood and iron plates.

Yeon-wi’s eyes blazed.

Pu-pu-pu-pu-puk!

Immediately after the absolute slash, piercing sword auras rained down like arrows.

The lightning-fast sword auras accurately pierced the chests of the Shadow Cultists who had fallen into the sea.

In an instant, the sea was stained crimson. But Yeon-wi’s attack did not end there.

Pa-aaaak!

Stepping on the shattered hull, his immense stride created huge whitecaps as if the sea itself was breaking.

He shot forward like an arrow, reaching another warship. Countless water droplets splashed between the rocking ships, yet not a single drop touched Yeon-wi’s clothes.

Woo-woo-woong!

The sword aura surged.

The Yeon Family’s Divine Core [a concept referring to the core of one’s martial energy] awakened.

The sword aura, responsible for the lower and middle dantian [energy centers in the body], entered the supreme realm, resonating perfectly with its master’s sword. The Yeon Family’s Divine Core, located in the highly developed upper dantian, maximized the utilization of the sword aura, and the upper divine energy spreading from his brow extended throughout his body, pushing Yeon-wi’s power and speed into an incomprehensible realm.

The Imperial Sword was swung twice to the left and right.

The sword strikes, swung as if cutting, unleashed crescent-shaped sword auras that overturned the warships.

Kwakwang! Kwaang!

It was a far more precise and rapid act of destruction than Gok-gyeong’s.

It wasn’t just because it was a martial art wielded with a weapon. The Yeon Family’s martial arts, considered the most orthodox of all, were unleashing power comparable to any demonic art under the enlightenment of the wrathful Judge Sword.

“Fire!”

“Attack!”

Pa-pa-pa-pang!

The Shadow Cultists were not just taking it.

Dozens of harpoons flew towards Yeon-wi, who had entered their territory.

The exact location of the Shadow Cult was still unknown. However, it could be inferred that their base was not near the sea or a river.

Yet, they had built such warships and even threw harpoons. The speed and precision of the thrown harpoons were comparable to, if not better than, the water ghosts of the Janggang River [a reference to skilled underwater fighters].

‘Indeed.’

In that brief moment, Yeon-wi thought.

‘These guys are the most dangerous.’

The Blood Demon Cult had its own characteristics, and the Divine Cult had theirs. He had fought them directly and heard countless pieces of information and news.

But the Shadow Cult had none of that.

While the characteristics of their martial arts were clear, there were no limits to these guys. They knew countless ways to fight enemies, from masters specialized in land battles to formations, assassinations, group battles, small-scale battles, and even infiltration and covert operations.

Now, they were even aiming for naval battles and underwater combat. No organization in the world could display such diverse combat capabilities.

‘Where on earth did these guys learn such amazing combat skills?’

His thoughts ended there.

Yeon-wi, floating in the air, gently swung the Imperial Sword. It was as if he was watching the Tai Chi Sword of the Wudang Sect [a famous martial arts school].

Hoo-woo-woong!

The many harpoons curved gently as if riding on clouds.

The Shadow Cultists’ eyes widened.

The stranger dancing with his sword in the air, the countless harpoons moving along the tip of his sword, looked like a school of sea fish swimming in the ocean.

Yeon-wi, who had been slowly descending, suddenly swung his sword in a straight line.

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pang!

The harpoons that had been rotating along with the sword were fired like arrows towards two warships on the left.

Pu-pu-pu-pu-puk!

“Kuaaaagh!”

“Aaaagh!”

The cultists, skewered by countless harpoons, died instantly or fell into the sea.

It was an unbelievable divine might. The power to split a warship with a single strike, the divine movement that freely roamed the air, and the pinnacle of the soft sword technique that deflected or received the opponent’s attacks.

He was a swordsman who had reached perfection. He was clearly showing what a martial artist who had reached the ultimate was like.

Yeon-wi, the head of the contemporary Byeoksan Yeon Family.

The martial power of a man burning to protect his homeland and annihilate the enemy had reached a level that was difficult to surpass.

Pu-pu-pu-pung!

It was a sound that made his mind snap back.

‘Cannons!’

From the distant flagship, cannons were fired.

The direction was none other than here, towards him.

He really thought they were crazy bastards. Even if they were aiming for him, cannons could not be precisely targeted. They were willing to attack their own warships to catch him, which was something only those who thought their own men’s lives were worth less than rotten straw would do.

Woo-woo-woo-woong!

The Yeon Family’s Divine Core rotated at high speed, increasing Yeon-wi’s thinking and perception abilities two or three times.

‘I see them.’

Out of dozens of cannonballs, only three posed a threat to his body.

They had fired them quite accurately. The surrounding cannonballs formed a net, blocking any escape route. It was as if they were fired by artillerymen who had practiced hundreds or thousands of times.

Yeon-wi’s left hand moved on its own.

In the short time it took to extend his hand, it formed a shape on its own. It was the Gentleman’s Sword of the Gentleman’s Eight Sword Styles [a specific sword technique].

Whee-ing!

The three cannonballs, drawing arcs, curved slightly.

They wriggled from a triangular shape to an almost straight line, one above the other.

Yeon-wi clenched his fist in the air.

Jii-ii-ii-ing!

The upper divine energy, which had been blocked like a dam, burst out like a waterfall, drastically slowing the speed of the three cannonballs.

Teong!

Yeon-wi, who had kicked off the surface of the sea with the Stepping on Water technique, powerfully swung his sword.

It was the Thirty-Six Styles of the Iron Sword, the One-Stroke Vertical Cut [another specific sword technique].

Flash! Kwang!

The three cannonballs, split with a powerful explosive force, were shattered.

It was a martial art that froze those who saw it. He had shattered three cannonballs at once with the ultimate level of telekinesis and an unstoppable sword strike.

However, the cultists’ situation was not good enough to simply admire the beautiful and terrifying scene of destruction.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!

Six warships were shattered by dozens of cannonballs.

Yeon-wi, who was about to run without looking back, suddenly felt a strange sensation.

The power of the Yeon Family’s Divine Core, which had enveloped the entire world like a spider web, and its divine eye were looking beyond the surface of the sea, even into the depths of the ocean.

‘Submersion?!’

They had already jumped before being hit by the cannonballs.

Not only that, but in the area Gok-gyeong was in charge of, many enemies were jumping into the sea.

Their appearance made it seem like they had jumped because they couldn’t respond, but it seemed different. Hundreds of cultists who had jumped powerfully into the sea were heading towards the coast at a terrifying speed.

Yeon-wi’s eyes flashed.

‘Amazing water skills!’

The speed at which they were diving and swimming was terrifying. It was comparable to the divine movement of a top master.

The moment he captured their movements, Yeon-wi was certain.

‘They planned to deploy water ghosts skilled in underwater combat in the front, then move underwater to attack the coast first.’

It was a tactic that deserved admiration.

Of course, it was a tactic that was only possible because they could train such water ghosts, but a truly excellent tactic was one that was not complicated but still struck at the opponent’s weakness.

‘They are not all of them.’

Plung!

Enemies could be seen jumping into the sea from all directions.

The number quickly exceeded one thousand and reached two thousand. Two thousand water ghosts, who displayed abilities beyond that of a top master in underwater combat, were heading towards the coast at an incredible speed.

‘Each warship is not particularly armed. They were just fast ships for rapid movement.’

The number of cultists killed by Yeon-wi and Gok-gyeong’s attacks was less than a hundred, and about fifteen warships were damaged.

It was almost as if there was no damage to the enemy. The number of enemies was over twenty thousand at a glance, almost thirty thousand.

But Yeon-wi was not disappointed.

‘It has only just begun.’

His body had reached the ultimate. His stamina had not decreased at all, and his inner energy was also full. The upper divine energy was actually increasing in power over time.

‘If we caught them off guard, they also caught us off guard. The initial battle has begun, but it is not over yet.’

Yeon-wi’s eyes widened.

‘Let’s see how much you’ve prepared.’

Pa-pang! Kwa-deuk! Pa-pa-pang!

His feet stepped on the seawater, then on pieces of broken hulls, and then on the seawater again.

He ran forward regardless of what was under his feet. A semi-transparent light-green aura was already surging around his body as he moved in a straight line, creating fierce whitecaps.

Gok-gyeong shouted.

“Lord Yeon!”

Pa-aaaang!

Someone finally flew towards Yeon-wi, who had broken through the warship formation at an incredible speed.

A mysterious master flew from one side of the flagship, his martial power having reached the ultimate.

Yeon-wi’s eyes flashed.

Pa-aaaaang!!

The straight movement that no one could stop suddenly turned sharply to the side.

He was confident in his martial power, but he was never reckless. He had only intended to jump over the warship formation and target the masters who were not skilled in underwater combat.

“Stop him!”

Kwa-deuk!

His body, which had become a single sword, pierced through a two-story medium-sized warship.

A moment later.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!!

Massive sword auras that erupted from inside the warship bloomed like light-green flowers.

It was a divine martial power that shattered a warship from the inside. There were many artillerymen and masters inside, but more than half of them lost their lives to the Gentleman’s Eight Sword Styles’ relentless attacks.

Kwa-deuk! Pa-aaaang!

Yeon-wi, who had shattered the warship in an instant, rose vertically and flew high into the sky.

At the same time, dozens of arrows flew towards Yeon-wi.

Each arrow was fast and powerful. Even masters of archery had been deployed.

Yeon-wi swung his sword and shouted.

“Stop them!”

The same words as the enemy’s master.

His lion’s roar spread in all directions, reaching Muk Bi’s ears.

And Muk Bi, who had already finished preparing, fired indiscriminately into the sea.

Pu-pu-pu-pu-pung!!

She fired formless bullets that were as sharp as blades while minimizing the consumption of inner energy.

The sea in front of Muk Bi turned red in an instant. The water ghosts who had been diving at an incredible speed lost their lives to her formless bullets.

‘It’s difficult.’

Water refracts light. No matter how much she increased her eyesight and predicted their movements, it was difficult to hit those moving underwater.

Even now, only thirty percent of the formless bullets she fired hit their targets. The rest all missed.

‘Let’s stay calm.’

It was obvious that firing actual arrows was much more powerful.

But formless bullets had their own advantages.

‘The Hongcheon energy is closest to water energy among the five elements. Even if it’s not pure water energy, its characteristics are similar. Moreover, since the formless bullet itself is a type of energy, I can hit them if I read the flow of water energy and fire.’

In fact, she had also done a lot of training in catching fish swimming in the river with arrows.

Now, she had improved so much that she could not even compare to that time, and there was no target she could not hit.

‘Again.’

The Hongryeon Bow, with its string drawn, vibrated fiercely.

‘I’ll hit them.’

Pi-pi-pi-ping! Pu-pu-pu-pung!!

The sea overturned, and dozens of water ghosts floated to the surface.

They were corpses that had been killed by the formless bullets.