Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 179

“W-what, what is that?!”

Kuaaaang!

A crimson spray of blood erupted with the explosion.

Flesh scattered, and shattered bones flew through the air. A person’s body had been smashed into pieces.

Whoooom! Thwack!

It was a brutal display of power.

The troops of the Hallway Unit, stationed in the south, were collapsing under the force of someone charging at incredible speed. It was as if a battering ram, led by dozens of warhorses, was smashing everything in its path.

But it wasn’t a battering ram; it was a person.

A black spear shaft, a white axe blade.

Above the black and white divine weapon, a weapon of destruction engraved with a roaring dragon was sweeping away the bandits like fallen leaves.

Kwaaang! Kwaang!

No one could stop it.

It was an endless charge, with no thought of retreat. The Western Great Emperor, the wind’s master, the White Tiger’s rampage was tearing apart and smashing away every enemy in its path.

“T-this!”

Hang Chun’s face turned pale.

Hwaaaak!

He couldn’t even see who the opponent was yet. All he could see were the pieces of his allies’ corpses being torn apart and flying in all directions.

And the killing intent.

A destructive killing intent, as if to crush every bandit here, was crashing down like a tidal wave.

“Retreat! Retreat! Fall back further inside!”

That’s when it happened.

Teiiing! Thwack!

“Kuh!”

He instinctively twisted his upper body, but a chunk of muscle was torn from his left shoulder.

‘An archer?!’

That’s right. The archer who had killed all the bandits approaching the hostages was now joining the battle.

‘Damn it!’

Hang Chun shouted.

“Grab the hostages first! Wipe them out completely!”

Kurrrurung!

Dozens of bandits lunged towards the women.

Approaching in small numbers was one thing, but with them charging as one, even if they had divine archery skills, they couldn’t stop them all.

In fact, Muk Bi was startled. She thought she had given them enough of a scare, but she hadn’t expected them to come out so recklessly.

‘Damn it!’

Titititing!

She poured all her inner energy into rapid-fire shots, but only a dozen or so fell. The remaining thirty or so bandits were already right in front of the women.

Even if she couldn’t kill them all, she couldn’t stop. Muk Bi quickly reached into her quiver.

‘……?!’

There were no arrows.

She had been so focused on protecting the hostages that she hadn’t even realized she had run out of arrows. It was a first for Muk Bi.

She cried out without realizing it.

“No!”

At that moment, something amazing happened.

Chwarurururuk!

A long, dark gray chain writhed and flew through the air.

Kwaaang!

The black and white axe, nicknamed the Mad Dragon, spun at high speed, indiscriminately cleaving through the enemies in front before embedding itself in the ground.

And then.

Ta-a-a-a-ang!

The air exploded.

A blazing gait that covered short distances at super speed.

The power of the Vermilion Bird, the legendary divine beast worshiped as the Sun God, the ruler of the Southern Sky, created a whirlwind around the body of the young man holding the chain.

Chiiiiik! Chiriring!

The chain, heated red by the fire energy, stretched out and wrapped around the necks of the bandits.

The young man, Yeon Ho-Jeong, forcefully pulled the Dragon Binding Chain.

Puh-uh-uh-uhk!

The necks of the five leading bandits, entangled in the Dragon Binding Chain, were severed.

And that wasn’t all. Immediately after severing their necks, he accelerated again with an uncanny movement and leaped into the air.

Chiriring!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes, holding the Dragon Binding Chain in both hands, emitted a fiery light.

Puh-buh-buh-buhk!

The Dragon Binding Chain, sweeping around him in a short rotation, crushed and shattered the bandits’ bodies.

Yeon Ho-Jeong let out a shout.

“Euaaaap!”

Kwaaang!

It was a Thousand-Pound Drop [a powerful martial arts technique].

He landed on the ground at tremendous speed, quickly twisting his body and swinging the Dragon Binding Chain.

Puh-buh-buh-buhk!

That was the end of it.

The Dragon Binding Chain, swung horizontally as if wielding a Mad Dragon Axe, tore the remaining bandits’ bodies apart vertically.

Chwarurururuk!

If left as it was, the Dragon Binding Chain would swing back and harm the hostages. Yeon Ho-Jeong hardened the chain with exquisite inner energy, causing the end of the chain to soar high into the sky.

Then, he plunged it down vertically.

Puhwaaaak!

The large bandit’s body was split in half vertically.

Chiririring!

The technique of instantly pulling the Dragon Binding Chain and hooking it diagonally across the upper body was astonishing. As the actual battle unfolded, the skill of handling the chain came naturally to him.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shouted.

“Spearmen!!”

Pararararak!

Ten spearmen of the Ami [a faction within the Myeolsa Army], wearing bamboo hats, charged through the path their commander had cleared and quickly stood around the hostages.

Thanks to their numerous real battles, the Myeolsa Army all worked in perfect harmony. Among them, the Ami faction spearmen, led by Song Yeon-Gyeong, were by far the best at forming formations.

The spear as a weapon, and a combination capable of telepathic understanding.

“Protect the hostages!”

“Yes!”

Their reaction speed was different from that of the Tangma Army soldiers.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s orders were absolute. Unless a follow-up order was given, they would stand here and protect the hostages until they died.

Pa-a-ak!

Yeon Ho-Jeong dashed forward in an instant.

Puh-uhk! Puh-buh-buh-buhk!

The Myeolsa Army was never noisy.

No one shouted. They knew that raising their voices in such a chaotic battle would only add to the confusion.

They just killed.

They killed the enemies in front of them and only listened to their leader, Yeon Ho-Jeong.

They knew exactly how to act according to the situation. This was why they were able to crush all sorts of sects in the Black Path, even though their martial arts hadn’t improved much.

The Myeolsa Army was strong.

Their organization, experience, and mental fortitude made everything possible.

And the person who had trained them that way was Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“Hwasan [a martial arts sect], take the west! Kunlun [another martial arts sect], the center! The rest, block the northern escape route!”

Even with a small force, they could turn the tide of the battle depending on the characteristics of their martial arts.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s insight was unmatched, his orders were always timely, and his own actions were also outstanding.

“Man-ho! I’m going to the left! Throw the axe!”

Kwaaang!

The bodies of three bandits were sent flying by an explosive axe strike. It was Peng Man-Ho’s Peng Family Blade Technique, the Chaotic Thunder Blade.

He wasn’t cutting; he was blowing them away. By using a little more inner energy, he was slowing down the forces pushing in from behind.

The soldiers of the Myeolsa Army were all like that.

They didn’t just kill enemies indiscriminately. They read the battle situation, even changing the nature of the martial arts they used as they advanced.

They had the judgment of true veterans. Their actual combat experience was only a few months, but they had acquired this survival ability while fighting without a single day of rest.

Puh-uhk! Puh-uhk!

He sent bandits flying with his giant blade and knocked down enemies at close range with his left fist. Peng Man-Ho, who had reached the spot where the Mad Dragon Axe had fallen with tremendous breakthrough power, placed his foot on the spear shaft.

His thigh swelled up.

“Commander!”

Teiiing!

The eighty-pound Mad Dragon Axe flew through the air towards Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Puh-uh-uh-uhk!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had brilliantly repelled the bandits by swinging the Dragon Binding Chain, caught the Mad Dragon Axe as it came.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

Chiriring!

Finally, he bound it.

He hooked the Dragon Binding Chain onto the large ring at the end of the Mad Dragon Axe’s shaft and secured it tightly. Then, he pulled up the White Tiger Flag with all his might.

Yeon Ho-Jeong coldly muttered.

“You’re caught, you sons of bitches.”

Hang Chun’s eyes widened.

“A-avoid it!”

Flash! Buaaaaaaang! Puh-buh-buhk!

The Mad Dragon Axe, bound by the Dragon Binding Chain and spinning, devastated the surroundings.

The White Tiger Flag, boasting extreme attack power based on tremendous centrifugal force, and the Wall of Azure Energy, reaching the tenth level, held his body stable.

It was a disaster.

Yeon Ho-Jeong became the eye of the storm himself, wielding the Mad Dragon Axe connected to the Dragon Binding Chain, creating a whirlwind of blood.

Puhwaaaaaak!

The bodies of the bandits caught in the Mad Dragon Axe, spinning at tremendous speed, were torn apart and sent flying.

Puh-buh-buh-buh-buhk!

It was a terrifying display of power.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was amazing for wielding the heavy axe at an invisible speed, but the Dragon Binding Chain, which endured the tremendous weight and strength, was also amazing.

The terrified bandits tried to flee in all directions, but Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t let them.

Tuh-uh-uh-uhng!

He moved around with the Blood Wing Soaring Heaven footwork [a movement technique], creating a storm of axes.

It was a natural disaster that no one could stop. The axe, swung with tremendous inner energy, became a martial art of unparalleled power, defeating the bandit hordes.

“This can’t be!”

The blood of his subordinates, scattered in the air, formed a circle with the wind and soared high.

It was a blood-red whirlwind. The power of his inner energy, developed to the extreme, was blowing the bandits’ blood and flesh high into the sky with the storm.

Clang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had stopped spinning, grabbed the shaft of the Mad Dragon Axe.

‘That’s it.’

In a brief blood dance, dozens of bandits had been killed.

Of course, Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t be unscathed either. He had poured a large amount of inner energy in an instant for a quick victory, so he had suffered considerable internal injuries due to excessive inner energy consumption.

But that was all. No, it was just that.

‘Azure Dragon!’

Whooooooong!

A brilliant turquoise aura blazed from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

It was the Azure Dragon Energy. The Azure Dragon Energy, which had risen to the main energy, setting aside the other three divine energies, began to control the burden and injuries his body had received at a terrifying speed.

Weeeeeeeng!

The liver’s ability was activated, and the turbid energy was directed to the kidneys. As the turbid energy gathered in the kidneys, the Black Tortoise Energy was automatically activated, vaporizing all the turbid energy.

The internal injuries he had suffered immediately were unavoidable, but this alone was enough. His body was in a state where he could unleash a blow with all his might.

Kwaaang!

The sight of Yeon Ho-Jeong, running with a chain in his left hand and a huge axe bound to the chain in his right, was the very embodiment of the Yama [a deity of death], the ruler of hell.

“Huk!”

Startled, Hang Chun turned and fled.

He was a master who had inflicted unbelievable damage with an axe and chain. A head-on fight was out of the question, and even if he fought with dozens of Hallway Unit members, he couldn’t guarantee his survival.

‘I’m going to die! I’m definitely going to die!’

Hang Chun ran with all his might.

That’s when it happened.

“You moron.”

Whooooooong!

The Mad Dragon Axe, which had flown from the right, drew an arc and returned to the left.

Hang Chun’s eyes widened. A dark gray chain was already wrapped around his neck.

‘No way…!’

Snap! Puhwaak!

His neck was broken and then torn off. He couldn’t withstand the weight of the axe.

It was a brutal attack. It was a fitting end for someone who had killed and violated countless people.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked around.

‘That’s it.’

The tide of the battle had turned.

The numbers were now similar. But more importantly, the appearance of himself and the Myeolsa Army had caused the morale of the Hallway Unit to plummet.

The time had come to end it.

“Tangma Army!!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shouted.

“Everyone, re-engage! We’ll capture them all within two intervals!”

The Myeolsa Army Commander’s cry echoed loudly.

Even though it wasn’t their direct superior’s order, the Tangma Army soldiers charged as if they had been waiting for it. Their morale had soared at the terrifying power that Yeon Ho-Jeong and the Myeolsa Army had shown.

“Kill them all!!”

“Advance! Advance!”

“Uwaaaaa!”

The Tangma Army charged again, screaming.

And the remaining three also immediately jumped into the front lines.

Pa-a-a-ak!

Ok Cheong, emitting the energy of the Tai Chi [a Chinese martial art], protected the vanguard of the Tangma Army.

Cheok Gang, using practical martial arts, knocked down the bandits head-on.

And Muk Bi, flying through the sky with divine footwork, shot arrows of inner energy, the Shadowless Bullets.

The combined forces of the Tangma and Myeolsa had finally unleashed their full potential and began to annihilate the Hallway Unit.