Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1363

The Crumbling World (5)

It was two hours after Paeyul encountered the enemy that Ha Eun-Gyo, who had taken a path to the west, made contact with the Jiangshi [Chinese hopping vampires/zombies].

“……!”

Ha Eun-Gyo’s eyes wavered.

‘They’re the dead!’

Over five hundred of the deceased, who should not be wandering in this world, were present.

They weren’t even in formation. They were just recklessly heading south, their movement techniques unique and refined.

‘Sorcery!’

Ha Eun-Gyo could see what Paeyul couldn’t. Her eyes caught the black, spiderweb-like lines encircling their upper dantian [energy center in the body].

They were similar to, yet different from, the White Yin Ghosts sent by the Evil Sound Sect. If the threads pulled from the White Yin Ghosts’ Baihui acupoint [top of the head] were like strings controlling puppets, the spiderwebs covering their upper dantian extended to their entire nervous system, making them move on their own.

‘That’s definitely sorcery.’

Though she wasn’t well-versed in sorcery, she had once spoken with sorcerers about the art of sound.

They had also discussed sorcery, martial arts, and curses, and at that time, they had said this:

‘Curses are, as the name suggests, sorcery that is controlled by incantations. In a way, it can be said to be the foundation of ancient sorcery. If one strongly desires something, there comes a moment when the human upper dantian resonates with the energy of nature, and that is when a curse begins.’

‘There is no one who uses ancient curses these days. Their effectiveness is also low, and above all, sorcerers who have come to understand the concept of the upper dantian have highly developed it, creating complex formulas, which is what sorcery is today.’

‘However, among ancient curses, there are some that are dangerous enough to threaten modern sorcery. Even sorcerers with considerable abilities dare not touch them, and one of them is the Jiangshi technique.’

Originally, the Jiangshi technique was a method created to return soldiers who died on the battlefield to their families, and its purpose was pure.

It was also called the Gushi technique, and there were several schools of Gushi, each with different methods of controlling corpses.

However, as time passed, the Gushi technique, contrary to its original purpose, was deemed a method that went against the natural order and was widely condemned.

Eventually, the Gushi technique was buried, but a small number of Gushi practitioners continued to refine the technique, and what was ultimately born was the Jiangshi technique.

The Jiangshi technique was called the perfected form of the Gushi technique in many ways, as it could make corpses move without the need for common talismans or bells.

The secret was to amplify the curse to the extreme. By maximizing the power of the curse and dominating the upper dantian of a corpse or even a living human, the Jiangshi technique, which could even transmit memories and emotions, was truly the epitome of evil.

Naturally, the difficulty of the Jiangshi technique was beyond imagination, and to properly perform it, all sorts of secret ingredients and medicinal herbs were needed.

‘The sorcerers said that if the Jiangshi technique succeeds, the human’s original upper dantian turns black, and holes are pierced throughout the dantian. Because they borrow the spiritual power of others instead of their own, they cannot have a sound mind, but instead, they become loyal monsters who absolutely obey their master’s commands.’

The black spiderwebs encircling their upper dantian.

It was an optical illusion created by the numerous holes pierced throughout the upper dantian, which should have been filled with spiritual power, rather than spiderweb-shaped threads.

‘This is unbelievable. How can there be so many Jiangshi…!’

That was the part that surprised Ha Eun-Gyo the most.

It was already difficult to find someone who could perform the Jiangshi technique, and the materials needed to create even one complete Jiangshi were said to be hard to obtain. Yet, there were over five hundred of them.

If there were a similar number on Paeyul’s side, that meant there were a total of one thousand Jiangshi roaming around.

‘If those guys are really Jiangshi created by the Jiangshi technique….’

Ha Eun-Gyo’s eyes, which had been filled with shock, gradually turned to anger.

‘They must all be returned to the underworld. Those Guanghyeol Church bastards have released things that should never have been released into the world.’

She made up her mind.

Whoosh!

Her movement technique, which was as elastic as a zither string, was the epitome of beauty. It was as if a celestial maiden had descended from the sky.

However, her speed was faster than ever, and her two hands, aiming for the flanks of the rampaging demons, were glowing pure white.

The Zither Maiden’s Hand was unleashed.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

With graceful and beautiful hand gestures as if playing a zither, dozens of gusts of wind were unleashed, blowing away the demons.

The bodies of the demons hit by the gusts of wind shattered. They didn’t just crumble or break; they shattered like pieces of metal, making it clear that they were truly monsters.

‘They’re tough.’

It was an attack she had unleashed without holding back in anger. Yet, the rebound force from the gusts of wind was considerable.

It meant that the strength of their bodies was close to that of a lump of iron. If she had wielded a bladed weapon, she could have destroyed them more efficiently, but unfortunately, her specialties were her bare hands and sound techniques.

“Kaaah!”

When a dozen or so were destroyed in an instant, the other demons stopped their southward advance and glared at Ha Eun-Gyo.

Even in her anger, Ha Eun-Gyo felt a chill run down her spine.

It wasn’t because she lacked the confidence to defeat the demons. The fear she felt was a fundamental one that any human would naturally have.

The reality that the dead were moving, and that those dead were revealing their killing intent towards the living. Anyone, not just Ha Eun-Gyo, would be terrified.

However, Ha Eun-Gyo was a master of the Limitless Arts.

Although she felt a chill at the gaze of these alien beings, she possessed the mental fortitude to instantly burn away such emotions.

Ha Eun-Gyo waved her hand.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

An intangible shockwave of vibration, which had risen without a sound, blew off the heads of five demons. Not a single drop of blood came from their severed necks.

It was the Dark Void Break. If the Zither Maiden’s Hand was Ha Eun-Gyo’s signature technique, the Dark Void Break was a killing technique she only used when she truly harbored murderous intent.

“I won’t feel sorry for you. Whether by your own will or not, too many people have died because of you.”

Whoom! Whoom!

A terrifying vibration gathered in Ha Eun-Gyo’s hands.

The Yin Flame Demonic Dance Divine Art manifested, creating an extreme vibration. The demons staggered, their faces contorted, just from the vibration emanating from her hands.

Whoom! Whoom!

The vibration grew stronger and stronger.

The scenery around Ha Eun-Gyo rippled like water. She was maximizing the vibrational force by gathering the power of the Yin Flame Demonic Dance Divine Art to its limit.

“There will be no pain. I’ll send you off in one go.”

It was then.

‘……!!’

Something that had shot up from a distant, unseen place was flying towards her at an incredible speed.

‘Light?!’

It wasn’t just a simple light.

Ha Eun-Gyo’s hands instinctively moved. She directed the power she had been about to use to blow away the Jiangshi with her sound wave towards the light.

Boom! Crackle!

The exploding vibrational shockwave created a massive fissure in the ground, spanning over fifty yards.

It wasn’t just because of Ha Eun-Gyo’s power. The shockwave created by the light that had flown from afar, a power that resembled lightning, had overturned this vast land.

‘This is?!’

An energy that resembled lightning, no, was lightning itself.

The strongest demonic art of the Guanghyeol Church, which emitted the power of pure lightning despite being based on demonic energy.

Flicker! Flicker!

Immediately after the explosion, a young man appeared with the speed of a lightning bolt.

His dragon robe fluttered. His natural descent to the ground with his effortless air-walking made him look like a celestial general.

“It seems we meet again.”

His voice was young, yet it carried an immense age and terrifying dignity.

Ha Eun-Gyo’s eyes were filled with venom.

“Cheon Hwa-Ryong.”

“I can’t just let the toys I worked so hard to make be lost so easily. Anyone else would be fine, but if you unleash your sound techniques with all your might, half of them could break in one go.”

“……To dare raise the dead and make them your puppets, are you not afraid of the heavens?!”

“The heavens?”

Cheon Hwa-Ryong chuckled.

“Now that the Hell God, who has already torn through the heavenly principles, has descended upon this land, would I be afraid of the heavenly way?”

“What?!”

“The net of the heavenly principles has been torn. Now that the one closest to the Blood God has descended, the boundary between this world and the underworld will soon collapse, and the flag of the Blood Church will fly throughout the world.”

“Shut your mouth!”

Ha Eun-Gyo’s shout absorbed the power of the Yin Flame Demonic Dance Divine Art and transformed into a terrifying lion’s roar.

Crack! Crack!

Dozens of flashes of lightning appeared and disappeared around Cheon Hwa-Ryong’s body.

He frowned.

“That’s a really troublesome sound technique. You really should die here.”

“Try it if you dare, you brat.”

Whoosh!

The two of them charged at each other like madmen.

In that gap, the demons began to rush south again.

* * *

Clang! Thwack!

The bodies of the demons were being torn apart by the spear and sword that moved as if possessed.

‘It’s difficult.’

Sweat beaded on Paeyul’s face.

‘It’s easy to deal with them since they’re not in formation, but their damned bodies are the problem.’

Of course, it wasn’t just their bodies that were the problem.

Swish!

Several demons approached in an instant and swung their hands, which were all as black as their faces.

And the fingernails, which were sharper than their hands, were several times blacker. Their hardness was also clearly greater than that of their bodies.

Paeyul rotated his left wrist.

The deformed sword rotated, amplifying the sword force of the Whirlwind Sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The wrists of the demons that entered the rotating sword energy were shattered, and the neck of one demon was pierced by a final thrust that was like a cannonball.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The short spear in his right hand also rotated, creating an even stronger pulling force.

The short spear, which was unleashing the power of the Pointed Spear Secret Northern Darkness Divine Art, was being used in the form of the Whirlwind Dance Flow Sword.

“Kuaah!”

“Kyaak!”

Five demons were being sucked in haphazardly.

Paeyul’s left sword emitted a flash of light.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Pointed Spear’s Dividing Light Sword was unleashed, blowing off the heads of all five demons.

‘Not bad.’

The Dividing Light Sword was a quick sword, requiring explosive power but consuming little internal energy.

His stamina, honed through practical training, was so strong that he could unleash the Dividing Light Sword all day long. To catch all of these guys, it was better to use martial arts that consumed as little internal energy as possible.

‘Gather them with the Whirlwind, then use the Dividing Light or the Hundred Legs to repel them. I won’t use the Heavenly Dragon or the Rising Phoenix.’

It was then.

‘……!!’

A demon that had approached without a sound swung its sword diagonally.

In an instant, Paeyul instinctively used the Piercing Sun Art. It was a movement based on instinct, not thought. The Piercing Sun Spear, unleashed with the short spear, was aimed at the demon’s sword.

Swoosh! Thwack!

The tremendous penetrating power of the Piercing Sun Spear shattered the demon’s sword and both hands, as well as its chest.

Not only that, but the remaining force of the Piercing Sun Spear shattered the shoulder of another demon beyond it before disappearing.

It was truly an incredible power. The destructive power of the Piercing Sun Art, which Paeyul had created over many years, was no exaggeration to say that it had reached the pinnacle of the martial world.

‘Damn it.’

However, the Piercing Sun Art consumed a considerable amount of internal energy, as much as its destructive power. Although he had continued to refine the formulas to reduce internal energy consumption, it still required more internal energy than any other martial art of the Pointed Spear.

‘What was that just now? There was no sign of it.’

Paeyul looked around again.

The demons were screaming in frustration, as they were blocked by a single warrior who was blocking their path south.

The number of remaining demons was about two hundred and seventy.

“This is fun.”

Paeyul’s fighting spirit did not die.

“Keep coming until you die, you already dead bastards.”