Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 615

“Kkeueueung!”

Dang Byeong-chan was startled and looked ahead.

Someone had blocked the Black Masked Man’s descending Greatsword.

His whole body was covered in blood. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were tattered, barely hanging on, with cuts everywhere.

He looked like he had been through a war. The muscles of his shoulders and upper arms, visible through the torn clothing, were impressive.

“Damn it, what’s with this…”

Whoosh!

The muscles of his shoulders and upper arms swelled greatly for a moment.

“Are you strong!”

Kaaang!

The explosive sword energy sent the heavy Greatsword flying backward.

It was incredible resilience, a terrifying inner force. A technique that repelled with force while reducing the sharpness of the sword; the density of his power surpassed that of most supreme masters.

Moyong Gun’s eyes wavered.

“Who are you?!”

“Hoo-uk!”

The one who had rushed in like a ray of light to save Dang Byeong-chan.

It was Gang Ryang.

“Where have you been until now?!”

“Shibal [Damn it], don’t be so upset! I deserve praise just for chasing you all the way here!”

It was something that would be surprising if one knew the truth.

The time Gang Ryang had fought the remaining Black Masked Man was actually extremely short. But no matter how short that time was, it was an intense battle, and it wasn’t as if this group had walked all the way here during that time.

Yet, the fact that he had arrived so quickly meant that Gang Ryang’s movement technique had reached a speed that was on a different level than before.

‘Strange.’

Gang Ryang’s gaze, as he surveyed the battlefield, was sharp. But he couldn’t shake the doubts about his own condition.

‘Why is my body like this?’

Hoo-uk!

Perhaps it was due to the anger of having his decisive blow blocked, but the Black Masked Man wielding the Greatsword attacked with even more ferocity and intensity than before.

Gang Ryang gritted his teeth and swung his sword.

Jjeo-eo-eong!

Gang Ryang’s body was pushed back violently. On the other hand, the Black Masked Man who had swung the Greatsword only faltered in place.

‘What the heck.’

Paah-aak!

Gang Ryang, who had been pushed back, shot forward again like an arrow.

Even though the impact of being pushed back must have been severe, he showed no hesitation. At first glance, it seemed as if he hadn’t received any impact at all.

Killing intent exploded from the Black Masked Man’s eyes.

Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeong!

Gang Ryang’s Ghost Slayer Sword was fast and unconventional.

On the other hand, the Black Masked Man’s Greatsword was strong and simple, but its speed was no less than Gang Ryang’s swordsmanship.

Naturally, Gang Ryang was bound to be pushed back in terms of strength. After several clashes, Gang Ryang was pushed back another six or seven steps.

Kki-gi-gik!

The Black Masked Man’s two feet also slid back slightly.

Surprisingly, the Black Masked Man had also received some impact from Gang Ryang’s last strike.

Considering Gang Ryang’s level, this was truly remarkable. It wasn’t just a difference of one or two moves at a similar level; it was difficult for anyone to achieve such a result in a completely different realm.

Teo-eo-eong!

Gang Ryang took another step forward.

Hot blood poured from his nose, as if he had suffered internal injuries from colliding with the Greatsword. Yet, his eyes grew increasingly vivid. The density of the true energy [internal energy] flowing from his body also increased.

Gang Ryang’s sword emitted a dark, blackish-gray aura.

Jjeo-jeong! Jjeo-jeong!

The Black Masked Man also seemed to have made up his mind.

The fact that he had been impacted by an attack from someone inferior to him was something that anyone who had trained in martial arts would find infuriating.

The Black Masked Man, who had been holding back his pride, now began to pour out all of his demonic energy.

Jjeo-eo-eong!

Blood spurted from Gang Ryang’s mouth.

The Black Masked Man’s Greatsword came down like an axe.

Jjeong! Jjeong! Kwang! Kwaang!

It was brute force.

Even if he tried to dodge, he couldn’t. The impact of blocking the blow was so great that it was difficult to even move his legs, let alone circulate his inner energy. Just standing there and blocking it was a remarkable feat.

‘Damn it!’

He was going to crush him with force.

The intention of his sword strikes was clear. He intended to make a counterattack impossible in order to restore his shattered pride.

And the Black Masked Man’s judgment was correct.

‘I can’t evade it.’

Kwaang!

The force of the downward strikes grew stronger and stronger.

Each time he blocked, the internal injuries worsened. On top of that, the strain on his joints and muscles was even more severe. Already, muscles all over his body were rupturing. Whether his joints were dislocated or broken, pain was rising from every part.

If it weren’t for the Ghost King True Energy, he would have been split in half long ago.

Boo-ung!

Even a variable attack came in. The Greatsword, which had been striking straight down, drew a curve and then suddenly surged upward from the lower to the upper direction.

Gang Ryang’s eyes widened.

Jjeo-eo-eo-eo-eong!

The tremendous resonance pushed even the Black Blood Unit and Dang Byeong-chan backward.

Ulk!

Blood gushed from Gang Ryang’s nose and mouth again.

‘Seriously…’

It was amazing that he hadn’t let go of his sword even in the midst of all that. No, it was astonishing that he hadn’t died from this attack alone.

‘Are they all like this? Are there only monsters like this?’

Were masters who had broken through the Wall of No Species [a metaphorical barrier to higher levels of martial arts] this different?

Paang!

The Black Masked Man, having closed the distance, raised his Greatsword again.

“Just die now.”

The Black Masked Man, who had not said a word, spoke with a murderous voice, as if he was fed up with it all.

Gang Ryang’s eyes blurred.

His body was tattered, and his inner energy was unstable. Where had all that inner energy gone? Now, only a tiny amount remained.

‘Brother.’

Yeon Ho-jeong’s face came to mind.

The face of the man who had reached out his hand to him, telling him to follow him when he had declared his revenge without hesitation when they first met.

‘I somehow managed to follow you, but it looks like I’m going to die without even getting revenge.’

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t considered this outcome. In the lives of martial artists who walked on the edge of a blade, how many of them would survive with their hearts set on revenge and take the heads of their enemies?

Perhaps, like a floating duckweed, he too might just wander the martial world and lose his life to an unexpected enemy’s blade, let alone get revenge.

But he never thought that this thought would become a reality.

Swae-ae-ae-aek!

The sound of the Greatsword cutting through the air was heard.

He didn’t have the strength to hold his sword, let alone lift his head.

‘So, I’m going to die like this…’

It was then.

‘The sword is broken? Fight with the broken sword.’

In a split second, a moment divided into fractions.

The image of Yeon Ho-jeong, sitting next to him and grinning after he had collapsed from exhaustion after a sparring match, came to mind. His words came to mind.

‘You dropped the broken sword? Then just punch them! Both your arms are broken? Then fight by kicking them.’

‘…You make it sound so easy. Then if my legs are broken too, should I bite them with my teeth?’

‘Isn’t that obvious?’

‘……’

‘Then, are you just going to stand there while seeing the sword flying at you? You have to struggle, right?’

‘What if the result doesn’t change no matter how much I struggle?’

‘Because you gave up, thinking the result would be the same, this sparring match, where you could have lasted ten more moves, ended so easily.’

‘……!’

‘Even if the result is the same, you have to cling on. Even if you end up dying, you have to tear off a chunk of flesh from the arm of the guy who killed you. That way, you’ll be a little less resentful, right?’

‘……’

‘I’m not telling you to be obsessed with victory. Be obsessed with your soul. Death is a moment. The way to extend that fateful time even a little is the tenacity to never give up, even in the most desperate moments.’

Tenacity, obsession, desire, madness, competitiveness.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s words became an enlightenment, like a ray of light, and showed Gang Ryang’s eyes the light of a new world.

Jjeo-eo-eo-eong! Kwang!

The Greatsword struck the ground.

Joo-roo-rook.

Gang Ryang’s left fist was covered in blood.

The Greatsword did not cut through Gang Ryang. The moment the blade came down, Gang Ryang’s left fist struck the side of the blade, deflecting it.

Uduk!

A gruesome sound came from Gang Ryang’s left wrist and elbow. By striking the Greatsword, filled with power, with his bare hand, his fist was crushed and his joints were dislocated.

But that was enough.

‘If I don’t have the strength to hold a sword…’

Gang Ryang lifted his head.

He made eye contact with the Black Masked Man. His eyes, shaking as if he couldn’t believe it, were no different from anyone else’s.

“I can just punch them, right? Isn’t that so?”

“You bastard!”

Peo-eok!

Blood spurted from Gang Ryang’s mouth. The Black Masked Man’s kick had struck his face.

Seo-geok!

At the same time, a long sword wound was etched on the Black Masked Man’s chest. The moment he was hit in the face, he had swung his sword and cut him.

Woo-woo-woong. Woo-woo-woong.

Gang Ryang’s head slowly returned to its original position.

The Black Masked Man seemed to be momentarily stunned by the unbelievable counterattack. The sword wound wasn’t deep, but it had given him a huge psychological shock.

Even his face was fine. A kick with the power to shatter a rock, it wouldn’t be strange if his head had been blown off. Yet, other than his mouth being busted, he was fine.

Woo-woo-woo-woong!!

A darker blackish-gray true energy rose like a cloud from Gang Ryang’s body.

“Euaaab!”

The Black Masked Man shouted and swung his Greatsword. It was from the lower left to the upper right.

Beonjjeok!

The Greatsword that cut through the air created a shockwave like a ripple. It was a blow that was not cutting but swinging to blow away.

But.

Peo-eok!

Gang Ryang, who had already dodged the Greatsword, instantly returned to that spot and struck the Black Masked Man’s chest with his broken left fist.

“Kul-leok!”

Blood seeped out from under the Black Masked Man’s mask.

It wasn’t a deep sword wound, but it wasn’t shallow either. When a fist full of explosive power was planted on that wound, the power that penetrated the body for a moment vibrated his internal organs.

The Black Masked Man’s eyes wavered.

‘Follow-up attack!’

The Black Masked Man, who had quickly regained his stance, was puzzled by the lack of a follow-up attack.

Udu-du-duk!

Gang Ryang’s left arm twitched uncontrollably.

Chiiii-i-i-ik!

The Ghost King True Energy, which had risen like a volcano, began to circulate throughout his body, healing the ruptured muscles and setting the broken bones.

Woo-ung! Woo-woo-woong!!

The Ghost King True Energy, which had seeped into his wounded body, restored his flesh. The true energy that was restored and released, with a speed like lightning, had a deeper inner power than before.

A change that made one doubt their eyes.

The black pupils of Gang Ryang’s eyes gradually encroached on the whites of his eyes, and soon, even the whites of his eyes were completely dyed black.

“Haa…”

A languid groan flowed from his parted lips.

The Ghost King True Energy was not just a tiny amount that remained. It had already penetrated every part of his muscles, joints, bones, blood vessels, and nerves, and was preparing to enter a new body, a new world.

And now.

The true energy of a swordsman who had broken through the limits of humanity with all his enlightenment, pulled his master’s life from the depths of the earth to the sky full of sunlight.

The Black Masked Man swung his Greatsword reflexively.

Beonjjeok!

There was no resonance or air-splitting sound.

A supremely sharp flash cut through the thick blade of the Greatsword diagonally.

Chiiii-i-i-ik!

The blade of the ordinary-looking iron sword was dyed with a light like ink. A white haze rose from the ink-stained blade.

“Yes, this was it.”

A smile of joy spread across Gang Ryang’s blood-stained face.

“This is the world you see!”

“Euaaaah!”

The Black Masked Man attacked again with his severed Greatsword.

Gang Ryang’s body passed by him with a whoosh! sound.

Chwaaa-aak!

With a large amount of blood, the Black Masked Man’s body was cut diagonally.

Not a single drop of blood stained the ink-colored blade.

Gang Ryang shouted fiercely.

“You will never escape this place!”

With explosive movement, Gang Ryang moved forward and brought his sword down on the head of another Black Masked Man.