Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1354

Clang!

Blood sprayed from Namgoong Seung’s mouth.

‘This is tough.’

Even with the formidable defense of the Azure Sky Grand Divine Art, he couldn’t easily block the attacks.

He attempted to use his strongest martial art, the Emperor Sword Form, but even that wasn’t a simple task. The Emperor Sword Form required perfect harmony of mind, energy, and body at all times.

He could execute it if he wanted to, but the problem was that it wouldn’t be effective against his opponent.

Using a martial art that wouldn’t work, while also consuming a large amount of internal energy, would only leave him vulnerable to a counterattack.

*Chi-i-i-ik!* *Pow!*

Myeong Yu’s fist techniques were flawless.

His unique martial art, which excluded the poison of the Yin-Fiend Energy and replaced it with the upper dantian [a key energy center in the body] mantra, displayed a form unlike any other martial art in the Central Plains.

Yet, the fact that Namgoong Seung was being pushed back meant that Myeong Yu’s martial art had reached perfection. He didn’t allow even a moment’s opening, and he himself was never careless.

*Thud!*

With a stomp that shook the base of Mount Tai, the ultimate moves of the Yin-Fiend Divine Fist poured down like meteors.

In that instant, Namgoong Seung felt his vision blur.

Meteors of fist wind swirled from all directions. Some charged straight, while others curved, and some even twisted mid-flight to target unexpected spots.

The erratic nature of the fist wind made it even harder to defend against.

‘I need to retreat.’

*Whoosh!*

He forcibly used the Heavenly Wind Step to retreat backward. The enemy’s spiritual energy was binding his body, but he poured a large amount of internal energy to break free.

*Wham! Wham! Wham!*

The Yin-Fiend Energy, which had exploded against the ground and air, created shockwaves in all directions.

Namgoong Seung swung his left hand.

*Whoosh!*

He suppressed the scattering shockwaves and simultaneously used the Heavenly Thunder Step to charge forward.

The sword technique he unleashed was not the Azure Sky Boundless Sword, but the Solitary Sword. It was the simplest, fastest, and most lethal technique of the Namgoong family.

Myeong Yu’s lips curled up.

As if he had anticipated it, he twisted his upper body with elasticity and raised his palm from the lower to the upper level.

*Clang!*

It was a tremendous blow.

Namgoong Seung saw the power of his Solitary Sword shatter.

As the power shattered, the form was disrupted, and as the form was disrupted, even his stance wavered.

He had perfectly controlled his body with his vast internal energy, but the enemy wouldn’t miss the moment he lost control.

*Swish!* *Pow!*

“*Kuh!*”

He was struck in the chest by a palm that had quickly penetrated his defenses.

In that instant, his mind snapped back. For *Mugeuk* [a martial arts realm signifying the absence of limits] masters, the length of a weapon was not an issue, but a swordsman fundamentally had an advantage in distance fighting compared to a fist fighter.

The opponent had broken through that and inflicted an injury.

‘My concentration…’

His mind was clear, but he was at a loss on how to proceed with the fight.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The enemy’s ability to deflect the sword force of the Azure Sky Boundless Sword with bare hands was truly astonishing.

‘He’s an enemy, but he has truly reached an amazing level.’

What if they had fought in perfect condition?

‘I would have been superior.’

The title of the Three Saints of the Heavenly Sword was not something anyone could have. It meant he was among the top five strongest in the entire Central Plains, and even his title was Sword Saint.

The Sword Emperor. How many people wielded the sword, the king of all weapons? He had risen to the top among those countless swordsmen, so he was not afraid of anyone.

Of course, the same was true for the opponent in front of him now. If it had been his original self, he would have already unleashed the Azure Sky Boundless Sword like a storm, and without thinking about the problems of mind, energy, and body, he would have even drawn out the Emperor Sword Form.

‘It’s meaningless.’

Namgoong Seung realized that his thoughts were nothing more than the pride of an old martial artist.

‘The fight is always about the present. There’s no need for ‘what ifs.’ Why have I become so weak?’

*Clang!* *Boom!*

He was struck again.

This blow was truly painful. The opponent had attacked with a palm strike, then suddenly rotated and unleashed a leg strike, and his side felt like it was about to explode.

‘It hurts.’

It was painful and shameful.

His internal energy seemed to be going berserk. The opponent’s energy was truly bizarre and powerful, and the moment it penetrated, it felt like dozens of knives were stabbing his dantian [the energy center below the navel].

It felt like he was being toyed with, and anger surged within him.

And Namgoong Seung was ashamed once again at the fact that he was angry.

‘What on earth am I doing? How can I be so distracted in a life-or-death battle?’

Even knowing that, he couldn’t reach a state of emptiness. Rather, his thoughts became more numerous, and his concentration became even more scattered.

It was due to extreme fatigue.

As expected of a *Mugeuk* master, his internal energy recovery was great, but the fatigue that had accumulated in his body and mind was enough to break even a warrior called the Sword Saint.

‘Even so, was I always this powerless?’

The enemy’s fist struck his shoulder.

It was a blow that felt like his left shoulder would be torn off. If he hadn’t instinctively twisted his body, his bones would have been crushed and his muscles torn.

At that moment, Namgoong Seung’s sword was swung in an arc.

*Swish!*

Surprise flickered across Myeong Yu’s face.

The sword, swung without a hint of killing intent, had grazed his earlobe. If his stance hadn’t been twisted, it would have pierced his face.

“This bastard.”

*Wham! Wham! Wham!*

Even in his anger, the coordination of his palm strikes was perfect.

Namgoong Seung was once again on the defensive.

‘He’s a prodigy.’

He could feel the opponent’s anger. Yet, his attacks were no different from before. He wasn’t attacking harder or faster, but calmly pressuring him.

He didn’t let emotions affect his fighting. To calmly face the enemy as he had always done, even for a *Mugeuk* master, was a difficult task.

‘If it’s an opponent like this…’

He didn’t know the enemy’s rank.

What was important was that the attitude this guy showed as a martial artist was superior to any warrior in the Central Plains.

Both the former masters of the Divine Cult and this guy were truly amazing, even though they were enemies. The power of the Three Cults, which possessed such masters, was truly astonishing.

‘That’s why I can’t lose.’

His internal energy, stamina, and mind were all a mess.

Even the amount of internal energy rising with his breath had decreased to less than half. Since his internal energy recovery was slow, his wounds weren’t healing, and the more he swung his sword, the heavier his body became.

But.

*Chiriring!* *Swish! Swish!*

The Azure Sky Boundless Sword, the Seven Heavens Feast Sword, was unleashed.

In an instant, seven streams of sword energy drew soft curves and targeted Myeong Yu’s body. Neck, collarbone, side, back, crown of the head, etc., it was as if seven snakes were opening their mouths and rushing in.

“*Eek!*”

Myeong Yu hurriedly rotated and unleashed the Yin-Fiend Divine Palm.

*Wham! Wham! Wham!*

The powerful palm force completely destroyed the sword force of the Seven Heavens Feast Sword.

Namgoong Seung didn’t feel any regret. What was important was that he had begun his counterattack.

‘But… how was I able to do that?’

His mind was clear, yet blurry.

It was a contradictory situation. Namgoong Seung himself didn’t understand his condition.

‘I have no strength.’

His whole body was drained of strength.

Even while drained of strength, his sword moved. It was as if the sword was moving on its own, guiding its master.

It was a mysterious experience.

*Clang! Clang!* *Swish! Swish!*

The fight, which had been one-sided, was gradually becoming a close match.

Myeong Yu shouted in a chilling voice.

“A dead man cannot imitate a living man!”

Dead?

‘Who’s dead?’

But it might look that way to him.

His eyes were blurry, and his body was swaying. He was using the Heavenly Wind Step, Heavenly Thunder Step, and Heavenly Fire Step as needed, but because he had no strength in his body, it might look ridiculous.

‘It’s strange.’

His arm moved.

The arm, which was swung as the sword moved, seemed to create a wave-like ripple. It was as if it was wriggling on its own like a boneless, soft-bodied animal.

*Swish! Swish!*

Sword wounds appeared one by one on Myeong Yu’s body.

In that instant, Namgoong Seung felt an intense pleasure. Even in a state close to powerlessness, he clearly felt the sensation of the sword brushing past the opponent’s body. It felt good.

And in that situation, Namgoong Seung thought of Jongli Baek.

‘Jongli Musang [Jongli Baek’s title]. Were you like this too?’

It was as if he could hear the sound of the dead Jongli Baek laughing heartily.

Along with his hearty laughter, he swung his large sword around carelessly. That scene flashed in his mind like a hallucination.

‘If not, why did you leave this world laughing so happily?’

Jongli Baek said something to him. But Namgoong Seung couldn’t hear it.

However, his eyes, which had reached the truth, were clearly etched in his mind.

‘Truth… I’ve been wielding blades my whole life, but have I still not reached the truth?’

It was then.

*Whoosh!*

A terrifying energy that could shatter this strange state at once covered the entire mountain.

‘Demonic energy?’

It was tremendous demonic energy.

No, it couldn’t be described with the word ‘tremendous.’ Namgoong Seung had never felt such demonic energy before.

‘It’s truly hell.’

If the world became hell, and if the demonic energy that had suppressed even the sky turned the heavens and earth into a fiery pit.

That demonic energy would cover the entire world, creating a desolate world where trees, flowers, people, and animals could not live.

‘Something’s wrong. It seems the Tang Clan Head failed.’

But.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

He didn’t care.

What was important now was this ‘state.’ There was no reason to be distracted by the terrifying demonic energy.

It was then.

*Swoosh!* *Boom!*

Something flew at tremendous speed and crashed into the ground.

The explosion was tremendous. The amount of internal energy that bloomed from it was also admirable.

It was the martial art of a giant sprout that had not yet reached *Mugeuk*, but was on the verge of it.

‘Archery?’

Myeong Yu shouted.

“Everything is over! The Heaven-Defying Divine Pearl is complete! Guigong Divine Maiden, give up now!”

Guigong Divine Maiden?

‘Muk Bi.’

The deputy of the Yeon Clan Head, who had become a general under his command, and his closest female martial artist friend.

“Elder Namgoong!!”

Her urgent voice was full of amazing vitality.

In that instant, Namgoong Seung realized why Myeong Yu had said he was dead.

‘He has no will to live.’

His own state, which was so contrasting to Muk Bi’s vibrant voice.

That’s right. He was dead.

He had given up on life and put everything into his sword. Just like Jongli Baek, he had only been looking at his sword.

At the same time, he was different from Jongli Baek.

Jongli Baek had lived as a warrior and died as a warrior. He was a swordsman from beginning to end.

But Namgoong Seung was different.

‘I haven’t lived like a warrior.’

He had lived as the head of his family, and one day, he had laid down all his responsibilities and lived obsessed with the sword.

But he had raised his children poorly, and his family had gone down the wrong path. To correct that, he had laid down his sword and returned to the world to fight against the wicked enemies.

‘My life was only filled with responsibility.’

Every moment he fought was a ‘fake’ fight to wash away the disgrace of his family. He had fought as the Supreme Clan Head of the Namgoong family, not as Namgoong Seung himself.

‘I don’t want to fight in this shell anymore…’

Even for just a moment.

Even if he lost his life in this fight, he wanted to fight as his true self, as the Sword Saint Namgoong Seung.

Just like when he first picked up the sword, with that same heart.

*Flash!*

Namgoong Seung’s eyes regained their light.

“Look at me!”

A roar from the old warrior that made even the demonic energy covering Mount Tai falter.

Myeong Yu flinched and looked at Namgoong Seung. Muk Bi, who was pulling the bowstring far away, also turned her gaze to Namgoong Seung.

The true Sword Saint of the Central Plains, who had laid down everything and only straightened his sword, was there.

“I have never ordered you to worry about anything other than this fight.”

“…”

“I will show you my end. Come properly!”