Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 618

The white-masked man, no, the Sixth Sacrificial Chief, couldn’t understand it.

*Poof! Poof!*

With a few hand gestures, the air exploded wildly.

Though it seemed like he was just flailing, the Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s movements perfectly captured the essence and secrets of the Blood Cult’s ultimate martial art, the Empty Heart Palm.

*Cough!*

Yeon Ho-Jeong coughed up blood and retreated.

*Hiss!*

Thick smoke rose from the black and white hand axes.

‘Those aren’t ordinary divine weapons.’

The Empty Heart Palm was a terrifying martial art that generated and detonated formless power in empty space.

Even for masters at the peak level, it was nearly impossible to master. It was a martial art so difficult that even the most profound techniques of the Central Plains [a region often associated with the heartland of Chinese martial arts] couldn’t compare, only attainable by those who had broken through the limits of humanity and begun to see the divine light.

Naturally, its power was indescribable. Most experts would die without even knowing how. This was because they wouldn’t even understand the process of generating the power, let alone its destructive force.

‘And yet, he’s reading and blocking it?’

His ability to read the moment of power generation was astonishing. Even though he was close to the pinnacle, no one in the cult, except for the Sacrificial Chiefs, had ever read the Empty Heart Palm’s attacks so quickly.

‘Moreover, those weapons, the axes, are perfectly neutralizing the Empty Heart Palm’s power.’

It was said that in the hands of a master, even a blade of grass could unleash the sharpness of a divine sword.

That was true. However, in clashes between masters, they rarely fought with blades of grass. For them, the advantage of a weapon was also an advantage in power.

Of course, that didn’t mean there was any reason to belittle the opponent’s martial arts.

Rather, it was even more impressive. The weapons were fine, but the person wielding them was not. Yet, the fact that he had endured this far meant his physical durability was monstrous.

*Wham!*

With a thunderous sound, blood splattered once more.

Yeon Ho-Jeong staggered back.

His face, pale from internal injuries, looked as if it had been powdered. The blood flowing from his nose and mouth was even more prominent against his pallid complexion.

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief swung his hand again.

*Whoosh!*

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s upper body twisted sharply to the side.

He blocked it by crossing the Black and White Twin Dragons [referring to his dual axes]. His legs were firmly planted on the ground, and he twisted his waist to offset the impact.

“……?!”

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s eyes deepened.

“Hoo.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong exhaled and took a step back.

Turning his head back to glare at the Sixth Sacrificial Chief, Yeon Ho-Jeong looked no different than before.

“…That’s a first.”

*Crack.*

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s right fist made a chilling sound.

“For the first time, you’ve properly deflected it.”

He had received the shockwave of the Empty Heart Palm as if deflecting it.

It was a power that could easily shatter rocks. He had deflected it by using the elasticity of his upper body. It was proof that his waist strength was monstrously powerful.

*Whoosh!*

Not only had he blocked it, but he was even counterattacking.

*Slash!*

Following the White Dragon Axe’s slash, which created a wave-like shockwave, the Black Dragon Axe’s slash followed, descending diagonally after rotating.

*Clang!*

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief blocked it with his right hand, his gaze changing.

‘What is this?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong immediately extended his leg.

*Bang!*

With a loud bang, Yeon Ho-Jeong was pushed back. The Sixth Sacrificial Chief, who had been struck by the kick, remained standing in place.

The difference in the depth of their power was too great. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had launched the attack, was the one who received the impact, while the Sixth Sacrificial Chief, who had received it, was completely unfazed.

However, while his body might have been fine, the Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s mind was not.

‘He’s gotten stronger?’

*Bang!*

He bounced back immediately after being pushed away.

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s keen senses detected another change.

‘He’s gotten faster.’

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s right hand drew a crescent moon. He attacked first, before Yeon Ho-Jeong’s axes could even reach him.

*Clanggggg!*

With a tremendous resonance, the floor cracked and split.

*Thud! Thud!*

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body was sent skidding across the ground.

It was an impact of a different dimension. He had switched from the Empty Heart Palm to the Blood Cult’s Demonic God Nine Kill Blade.

It wasn’t just a strike; it was a blow with the intent to kill.

*Fwoosh.*

With a cloud of smoke, Yeon Ho-Jeong stood up again.

“……!”

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief couldn’t believe it.

‘How?’

He could accept that he could block the Empty Heart Palm with his sharp focus.

The Demonic God Nine Kill Blade was a divine technique that could fully unleash the martial arts of a Sacrificial Chief. If the Empty Heart Palm was an attack that struck at the weak points, the Demonic God Nine Kill Blade was a martial art that split the opponent with force.

He had blocked it. Not only had he blocked it, but he was standing up as if nothing had happened.

‘I can’t unleash my full power because it’s not my body, but still.’

The Soul Borrowing Technique was an ancient secret art that allowed one to imbue a soul into the body of someone who had mastered the Blood Demon’s martial arts.

Of course, it wasn’t a technique that made sense. The original owner of the body, the soul host, as well as the soul that had descended into the body, would ascend the moment their magical power was completely exhausted.

‘Even so, only a Sacrificial Chief-level expert could block that?!’

*Flash! Bang!*

He deflected the black axe that flew like lightning, and a faint pain was felt in his right hand.

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s eyes widened.

‘He’s gotten stronger!’

The power in the axe had changed.

He couldn’t understand it at all. The energy waves emanating from him were the same, or rather, weaker due to his internal injuries, yet his attacks were getting stronger?

‘What the hell…….’

*Whoosh!*

Yeon Ho-Jeong, engulfed in crimson flames, aimed for the Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s neck with the White Dragon Axe.

*Snip!*

The edge of his cloak was cut off.

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief dodged Yeon Ho-Jeong’s axe for the first time. This strike was so sharp that if he hadn’t dodged it, he would have been cut.

*Clang!*

Yeon Ho-Jeong was sent flying back again by the Demonic God Nine Kill Blade, which was swung diagonally upwards.

It was the same this time. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had skidded across the ground, stood up again and glared at the Sixth Sacrificial Chief.

“Hoo! Hoo!”

His breathing was ragged.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his face, which had been pale, now looked blue.

He was in a state where he could collapse at any moment. Even a commoner who didn’t know martial arts could see how precarious he was.

“…….”

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief was experiencing an incomprehensible opponent.

*Hiss!*

The left hand that had been cut by Yeon Ho-Jeong’s axe began to heal, emitting red smoke.

“This won’t do.”

*Munch, munch.*

The red smoke billowed like clouds, and the severed left hand was completely restored in no time.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

‘Super regeneration.’

It was super regeneration caused by demonic energy.

It was an area impossible with orthodox or divine martial arts. It was a miraculous technique only possible for those who had reached the pinnacle of demonic arts, pursuing the path of defying heaven and immortality.

“It seems that the heavens are planning to take my life sooner.”

There was a subtle sigh in his archaic tone.

When one occupied a body with the Soul Borrowing Technique, the source of life, the innate energy, disappeared, and the possessed magical power sustained life.

That was why the Sixth Sacrificial Chief was trying to capture Yeon Ho-Jeong with minimal force. He thought that if he captured Yeon Ho-Jeong and finished the Tang Clan’s business, his magical power would be nearly depleted.

However, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s incomprehensible martial arts had changed his goal.

*Crack!*

The bones in his left hand, which was clenching into a fist, made a twisting sound.

It was a hand that had been healed by concentrating a considerable amount of demonic energy. That meant the time he could spend in this world was reduced, but he would use all the martial arts he could unleash with this body.

“Let’s end this now.”

*Whoosh!*

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened.

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s movements weren’t that fast. Yeon Ho-Jeong’s trained eyes could clearly see his movements.

However, just because his actual speed wasn’t fast didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.

‘Left side?!’

*Clang!*

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body was pushed to the left.

He thought the attack would come from the left, but it came from the right.

The amount of impact was different from before. The freely moving demonic energy, the subtlety and speed of internal energy manipulation, were much deeper and faster than before.

*Crack!*

Yeon Ho-Jeong managed to offset the impact by bracing his feet to the end, but the Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s follow-up attack was already flying towards his abdomen.

*Clang! Thwack!*

He retreated with the Azure Dragon Cloud Step [a movement technique], trying to find an opportunity to counterattack, but his movements were disrupted by a kick that came from a blind spot.

‘Damn it.’

Two of his ribs were cracked. Even though his body, which had been mobilized with the power of the Four Divine Beasts [mythical creatures], had its muscle density maximized, he couldn’t completely offset the impact.

“And yet, you’re still trying to counterattack? You have an amazing fighting spirit. Your fighting spirit is something that none of the younger members of our cult can match.”

*Whoosh!*

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief appeared in front of Yeon Ho-Jeong again.

It was unbelievable. It was a movement that he could see, but it was difficult to dodge or counterattack.

‘This is it.’

*Clang! Thwack!*

Yeon Ho-Jeong was pushed back again.

He didn’t bleed. But the impact remained.

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s attacks were hitting Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body one by one.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes became bloodshot.

‘This is the pinnacle.’

*Poof!*

The Demonic God Nine Kill Blade seemed to be approaching in a crisscross pattern, but within it was the power of the Empty Heart Palm.

The power technique created an explosion, and Yeon Ho-Jeong rolled on the ground before slamming into a tree trunk with a *thud*!

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief’s eyes gleamed.

‘It’s time to end this.’

He had blocked the Empty Heart Palm and the Demonic God Nine Kill Blade with almost acrobatic movements, such as deflecting them with the elasticity of his upper body or scattering the shockwaves by rolling on the ground.

But that was the end of it. The true energy emanating from Yeon Ho-Jeong was noticeably fading.

The technique of transferring damage could only be used if one had the strength to do so.

The Sixth Sacrificial Chief prepared his final blow.

‘Farewell, amazing warrior.’

The killing move of the Demonic God Nine Kill Blade, the Soul Summoning Demonic Slash, revealed itself.

*Flash!*

It was an enormous slash.

A blood-red crescent moon, as large as a house, poured down on Yeon Ho-Jeong like a wave.

A martial art that was on a different level in terms of speed, power, and sharpness.

The moment he recognized the attack, the sword energy was already a full arm’s length away. It seemed impossible to avoid or defend against.

In that moment of desperation.

‘It’s nothing.’

*Wiiiiiiiiing!*

The Yeon Family’s Divine Core [a core of energy within his body], which was rotating more than twice as fast as usual, increased its speed even further.

The Divine Core rotated at three, no, four times its normal speed. The massive amount of true energy generated by the rotation was pouring into Yeon Ho-Jeong’s brain and nerves like crazy.

*Flash!*

His brain was forcibly activated, and his sharpened nerves were transmitting the brain’s commands ten times faster than usual.

Along with the pain that felt like his nerves were burning, he felt as if the world was slowing down. In that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong could confidently glare at the enemy with his indescribably hideous appearance, beyond the wave-like slash.

‘It’s the pinnacle, but it’s not the real pinnacle. It’s only half-baked at best.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong knew. He knew that the opponent’s level was incomplete.

The level of the person who had taken over that body had reached the pinnacle, but the body couldn’t keep up. That was why the true power wasn’t coming out.

That was why Yeon Ho-Jeong had been able to endure this far.

That was why Yeon Ho-Jeong was able to bring about this change.

That was why Yeon Ho-Jeong was able to adapt to the opponent’s martial arts.

And Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘Me too.’

Finally, he realized.

‘I’m the same as that guy.’

His spirit had already reached a place where his body had not yet arrived.

‘No, I’m better than that guy.’

That guy had never used that body before, but he had worked hard for years after returning to this body to reach his current position.

That was why he was confident. He could face that half-baked super expert, no, he could go one step further.

He could enter the realm he had achieved in the past, that dream world, and respond to this destructive martial art.