Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 687

“Kuh!”

Myeong Geuk’s face contorted as he braced his upper body.

Whack! Bang!

Unable to withstand the force, Yeon Ho-Jeong was sent flying, tumbling several times before regaining his footing.

Whoosh!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flickered.

He knew it even before he saw it. Myeong Geuk was right in front of him.

And the moment his eyes confirmed it, a shin, as hard as an iron pillar, was hurtling towards his face.

Yeon Ho-Jeong quickly rolled away on the ground.

Boom!

Even just kicking the air created an explosion. The speed of his leg technique had surpassed the speed of sound. The shockwave sent Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body flying even further.

Tap tap!

He straightened up and raised his head, but Myeong Geuk had already vanished from that spot.

Whoosh!

At that moment, he felt a cold sensation behind him.

Instinctively, Yeon Ho-Jeong swung the Black Dragon Axe behind him.

Clang!

Myeong Geuk’s hand blade collided with the Black Dragon Axe, sending out a shower of sparks.

As Yeon Ho-Jeong spun to swing the White Dragon Axe, he saw Myeong Geuk’s right fist flying towards his abdomen.

Bang!

Sent flying again, Yeon Ho-Jeong staggered as he got up. The Black and White Dragon Axes were already far away.

Myeong Geuk frowned.

‘He’s holding on well.’

Crack!

He grabbed his broken nose with his hand and channeled qi [internal energy] to set it firmly.

It hurt so much that tears welled up, but Myeong Geuk’s expression remained unchanged. He was so angry that he could laugh off that level of pain.

Whirr!

The blizzard that had been raging was gradually losing its momentum.

Conversely, Myeong Geuk felt strength surging through his entire body.

‘It’s complete.’

The Yin Desolate Battle God Formation.

Myeong Geuk, a genius with innate divine energy in his upper dantian [energy center in the forehead], was originally more specialized in sorcery than martial arts.

However, while the sorcery of the Demonic Yin was sinister and unique, it did not, in itself, prove the authority of a god.

While receiving teachings from the cult leader, Myeong Geuk pondered ways to maximize his innate strengths. And the result of that contemplation was the Calamity Guiding Divine Art, his current main martial art.

However, the cult leader said,

‘It’s excellent. But it’s not enough. It might be suitable for the second-in-command of our cult, but it’s slightly lacking as a martial art to reach the pinnacle.’

It was the highest praise and, at the same time, a devastating criticism.

He was good enough to be second-in-command. But his martial art was not enough to reach the pinnacle.

For him, who had always been trained to be the best, who had fought to become the strongest, such an evaluation was unbearable.

However, it was impossible to revise a martial art that was already complete. Myeong Geuk pondered how to maximize the power of the Calamity Guiding Divine Art.

That was the Yin Desolate Battle God Formation.

Thud!

With one step, the entire mountain trembled.

It wasn’t a metaphor; it was actually happening. A martial art imbued with Myeong Geuk’s power, a formation that maximized the power of that martial art, was doubling the output of the Calamity Guiding Divine Art.

‘At this rate, I’ll have to live like a corpse for at least three months.’

He could unleash near-invincible power for more than half a day, but once his strength was depleted, it would take a long time to recover.

But that was enough. The Demonic Yin cult leader knew of Myeong Geuk’s unique trait, which was why he had sent him to the Central Plains without hesitation.

In the worst-case scenario, he could explode all his power and clear the surroundings.

Whatever the case, the guy had no chance of winning now.

“As a nemesis of our cult, I shall grant you a death befitting your status.”

Myeong Geuk’s feet left the ground.

Whoosh!

The moment he thought he moved, his body had reached Yeon Ho-Jeong. He had even reached the speed of the Swift Flight Steps.

Myeong Geuk’s fist was swung coldly.

The target was Yeon Ho-Jeong’s chest.

Bang!

The powerful fist wind created a huge crater in the ground.

Crack!

Myeong Geuk staggered backward. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had moved in an instant, had kicked him in the chest.

The pain wasn’t great. But the psychological shock was immense.

‘What?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong was breathing in short gasps.

He looked exhausted to anyone. It was only natural; even if it was just a few blows, his body couldn’t be normal after taking such powerful hits head-on.

Myeong Geuk’s expression turned serious.

After staring at Yeon Ho-Jeong for a moment, he took another step forward.

Whoosh!

Myeong Geuk, moving like lightning with unpredictable movements, had already grabbed Yeon Ho-Jeong from behind.

Flash!

A diagonal hand blade strike, the Calamity Guiding Divine Hand, once again aimed for Yeon Ho-Jeong’s life.

Thud!

Yeon Ho-Jeong fell forward, rolled on the ground, and then got up.

Myeong Geuk stood there, unmoved. The only change was that there was a muddy footprint on his abdomen.

“……!!”

Myeong Geuk’s eyes wavered.

‘What is this?’

Two attacks, and both failed.

If that was all, it would be one thing, but both times he had been countered. Before he could even notice it!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s counterattacks were also impromptu, so he couldn’t put his full strength into them. That was why Myeong Geuk was fine. If he had put his full strength into it, Myeong Geuk would have suffered considerable damage, regardless of the Yin Desolate Battle God Formation.

‘How did he counter?’

He hadn’t even seen the opponent’s movements.

Myeong Geuk stared blankly at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was also looking at Myeong Geuk with narrowed eyes. His breathing was ragged, and he was taking a natural stance as if he could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

‘…I don’t know how he did it, but.’

A look of determination appeared on Myeong Geuk’s face.

‘I’ll check one more time, just to be sure.’

Whoosh!

It was an even faster movement than before.

Even the Thirteen Seats of the Heavenly Star [a group of powerful martial artists] would have difficulty achieving this speed. It was an overwhelming speed that Myeong Geuk was confident in.

Flash!

The power of the True Blood Hand flew towards Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face in an instant.

The speed of his movement, the power of his hand strike.

It was perfect timing. It was a strike that anyone in the world would find difficult to avoid, and even if they blocked it, they would have to endure the damage.

That was when it happened.

‘……!!’

In a moment that split a moment, Myeong Geuk finally realized. His hand, pushing forward, was moving half a beat slower in the air.

It was being resisted. By something unknown.

Was it air resistance? Or….

‘Could it be?!’

Thud!

Blood spurted from Myeong Geuk’s mouth. Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had turned his head to avoid the True Blood Hand attack, had swung his fist.

Tap tap tap!

Myeong Geuk, who had quickly created a distance of five yards, touched his chin.

Fortunately, his chin wasn’t broken. It was just slightly cracked, which was a stroke of luck considering the power of the punch and his own speed.

But that wasn’t important right now.

“This bastard!”

Finally, a harsh word escaped Myeong Geuk’s mouth.

“How dare you use the Divine Eye of Calamity?!”

That was right.

The only divine skill that could slow down such a fast attack by half a beat was the Divine Eye of Calamity. This method of manipulating divine energy, which ensnared without a trace, could only be the Divine Eye of Calamity.

Myeong Geuk, who had been growling, was suddenly startled.

‘But how did he use it?’

The Divine Eye of Calamity was not a technique that anyone who could simply manipulate the upper dantian could use. It had its own formalities, incantations, and formulas; it was a martial art closer to sorcery. It meant that no one could use it unless they had learned it.

‘How the hell!!’

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s foot moved.

Thud!

He had only taken one step softly, but an enormous ground tremor erupted, shaking the entire mountain.

In that instant, Myeong Geuk felt it was difficult to maintain his balance.

‘……!’

Alarmed, Myeong Geuk quickly lowered his stance to regain his balance.

Yeon Ho-Jeong took another step forward.

Boom!

Another ground tremor erupted.

Myeong Geuk’s body shook violently. The reverberation was much greater than before, and it felt like his eardrums were about to burst.

And finally.

Just as Yeon Ho-Jeong was about to take another step, Myeong Geuk couldn’t hold back and launched himself forward.

That was when the anomaly occurred.

Bang!

Myeong Geuk spat out blood as he was sent flying backward.

He quickly regained his senses and glared at Yeon Ho-Jeong, but then he felt an unknown energy gathering in his lower abdomen.

Boom!

“Cough!”

Myeong Geuk retreated, letting out a stifled groan.

‘What is this?’

He didn’t even know what had hit him or how.

‘What the hell is this!’

Boom boom!

He slammed his feet into the ground and screamed as he threw a punch. It was the fist wind of the Calamity Guiding Divine Fist.

Thud!

The fist wind, shot out half a beat late, was hit by an invisible shockwave and bounced into the sky.

In that gap, Yeon Ho-Jeong closed the distance and struck with his palm. It was the ultimate martial art of the Yeon family, the Reversing Dragon Palm.

Thud!

This time, there was no groan.

Myeong Geuk, who had retreated while spitting blood from his nose and mouth, wildly swung both hands.

Swish swish swish!

It was a divine skill.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was dodging all of those fast and sharp hand strikes. The attacks slowed down in moments, and his body, having detected a tiny opening, was finding its way to safety.

And it didn’t end there.

Not only had he perfectly dodged Myeong Geuk’s desperate attacks, but Yeon Ho-Jeong had also closed the distance and brought his hands together.

He was about to do something. Sensing danger, Myeong Geuk didn’t even think about countering and tried to retreat again.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s two hands collided forcefully, as if in prayer.

Bang!

Myeong Geuk, who was sent flying by the powerful shockwave, rolled on the ground.

“Ugh!”

Myeong Geuk, who had vomited dark red blood, glared at Yeon Ho-Jeong with a pale face.

“Hoo. Hoo.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong wasn’t in good shape either. His breathing was becoming increasingly ragged, and his once clear eyes were now somewhat hazy.

It was as if he was falling into something. Yet, his senses were sharp, and he was accurately aware of Myeong Geuk.

“……You?”

Myeong Geuk, who had been staring blankly at Yeon Ho-Jeong, let out a voice full of disbelief.

“How do you know the techniques of the Yin Empress?!”

That was right.

Myeong Geuk had met the Yin Empress once. And he had briefly witnessed her martial arts.

That was why he knew. The true nature of the martial art that Yeon Ho-Jeong was using now.

It was the vibration martial art, the Dark Void Wave, that the Yin Empress often used.

Moreover, unlike the Yin Empress, who only used it with her palm strikes, Yeon Ho-Jeong was able to manifest the power of the Dark Void Wave with his footwork, finger flicks, and even claps.

Flash!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s pupils, which had been loosely unfocused, instantly regained their clarity.

“……!!”

Why?

He didn’t know the reason, but suddenly, Myeong Geuk realized.

‘This isn’t it.’

He had boosted his power with the Yin Desolate Battle God Formation?

This wasn’t it. It was a powerful and terrifying ultimate move, but at least it didn’t work on Yeon Ho-Jeong.

No, rather, Yeon Ho-Jeong had become more advantageous. He had become stronger and faster, but it seemed that his ‘technique’ had fueled Yeon Ho-Jeong’s unknown ‘talent’.

What was that talent?

Whoosh!

The Calamity Guiding Divine Fist was raging.

At the same time, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s Reversing Dragon Palm, which was being thrown at him, was accompanied by a strong vibration.

Whoosh! Thud! Thud!

The form of the Calamity Guiding Divine Fist wavered.

The power of the Reversing Dragon Palm, unleashed with the Dark Void Wave, had shaken the direction of the Divine Fist.

Lightning struck Myeong Geuk’s head.

‘Was the form so easily shaken with that much power?’

No.

The form of the Calamity Guiding Divine Fist was perfect and solid. It wouldn’t easily collapse with any power.

But it was collapsing. In front of the power of vibration, which was less than half of the Yin Empress’s.

Clang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s Reversing Dragon Palm, which had deflected the Divine Fist, struck Myeong Geuk’s chest.

Clang!

With a loud metallic sound, Yeon Ho-Jeong staggered backward.

Swoosh.

The strong wind, which had been slightly cold, subsided. The Yin Desolate Battle God Formation had disappeared.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

Myeong Geuk, who had spat out blood-mixed phlegm, smiled coldly.

It was a smile of frustration and a smile of anger.

“Do you like little kids?”

“……?”

“To uproot the roots of Jongnam [a famous martial arts sect]… have you ever thought about what that means?”

In an instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes became bloodshot.

“You?!”

Flash! Boom!

The two grabbed each other’s hands.

A powerful force field swirled around them.

Myeong Geuk smiled brightly.

“I wonder what your allies will do after I cut off the heads of all the disciples you learned from in Jongnam?”