Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 917

Myeong Do-Gang, an elder of the Divine Demonic Forest, hurried down the stairs, shouting,

“Kill all the prisoners! Leave only the solitary confinement cells and cut off all their heads!”

“Understood!”

With clanging sounds echoing everywhere, miserable screams erupted. The prisoners held in the Divine Demonic Forest’s prison were beginning to lose their lives at the hands of the guards.

Although they had not revealed themselves to the world, the Divine Demonic Forest’s power had grown so large because they had taken control of the Azure Sea. Even with a small population, there were quite a few people who had tried to invade the Divine Demonic Forest or had committed crimes and were imprisoned.

All those prisoners were now being killed off.

‘I don’t know if this is really necessary.’

The Divine Demonic Forest was already doomed. It wouldn’t matter if they left them all behind, but just in case, it was better to kill anyone who knew even a little about the Divine Demonic Arts.

Soon, Myeong Do-Gang arrived in front of the solitary confinement cells.

“Hoo.”

There were a total of three elders who had plotted rebellion with Mok Gye-Dam.

Myeong Do-Gang, one of them, was not a particularly ambitious person. However, in his view, the tide had already turned, and he decided it was better to save his own life by following Mok Gye-Dam.

That was why he had no real achievements to speak of. That was why he was here at the prison, dealing with this trivial matter in this busy moment.

‘I’m trembling.’

The order he had received was to bring the former Forest Lord to Mok Gye-Dam.

It was a really insignificant task, but his heart was trembling because he knew the terrifying past of the Divine Demonic Forest Lord, Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi.

‘It’s okay. He’s just an old man with no teeth left.’

When he opened his senses, he felt a single presence that had no demonic energy.

Myeong Do-Gang felt a bitter taste as he opened the door to the solitary confinement cell.

Creak!

The door opened with a chilling sound.

In that instant, Myeong Do-Gang’s eyes shook.

‘……?!’

The old man, who should have been bound by chains on his arms and legs, was nowhere to be seen.

It was then.

Whoosh!

A bizarre chill was felt.

It was when Myeong Do-Gang was instinctively trying to pull back.

Bang! Thwack!

“Kuh-erk!”

A hand that had burst through the iron door grabbed his neck.

Myeong Do-Gang grabbed the thin wrist with both hands.

Chiiiiiiiiik!

In that instant, Myeong Do-Gang felt a pain as if his palms were burning.

But for some reason, he couldn’t let go of the bony wrist.

The pain only grew, and blood flowed from his grabbed neck. His flesh had been torn by the beast-like, long fingernails.

“This energy is…”

Myeong Do-Gang’s face, which had been flushed red, turned pale in an instant.

The heavy voice that came from behind the iron door.

It was the voice of an absolute being that had been remembered as fear for almost his entire life.

“Three Yin Demonic Art… It’s Myeong Do-Gang.”

“Cough! K-Kuh!”

His palms still wouldn’t let go, and his head was spinning from the tightening grip on his throat.

Myeong Do-Gang instinctively used his demonic art and kicked the iron door with his foot.

Bang!

Myeong Do-Gang’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

Normally, with his power, the iron door should have been broken. But the iron door was fine, and only his toes hurt.

Only then did Myeong Do-Gang realize. That his internal energy was not working properly.

No, that his internal energy was moving on its own.

“Didn’t I tell you repeatedly? That my martial arts and external martial arts are one. I told you not to neglect physical training while being intoxicated by the power of internal energy… It was a waste of talent for such a complacent nature.”

“Cough! L-Lord…!”

Thump! Thump!

On the thin wrist, thick blood vessels pulsed repeatedly.

Myeong Do-Gang’s complexion grew paler and paler.

‘My internal energy… This, could it be the Essence Absorption Demonic Art?!’

Chiiiiiiiiik!

His internal energy was being sucked in at a terrifying speed.

It was difficult to open the floodgates at first, but once they were open, a large amount of demonic energy began to flow out. The amount and speed were so great that his lower abdomen felt empty in an instant, and he felt a throbbing pain.

Myeong Do-Gang’s mouth fell open.

Before he knew it, all the demonic energy he had accumulated with the Three Yin Demonic Art had been sucked away. His empty dantian [energy center] shrank, and his internal organs shook.

But it didn’t end there.

Before he could even feel the immense pain and loss, his whole body began to dry up.

Crack! Crack!

It didn’t end with the plundering of internal energy and the absorption of demonic energy.

Myeong Do-Gang’s eyes turned dull like the eyes of a rotten fish.

‘Damn it…’

Fssssssss.

Myeong Do-Gang’s corpse, which had become a dry husk, crumbled into dust.

Thud.

The iron door fell, and the old man who revealed himself from behind it, the former Divine Demonic Forest Lord Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi, slowly turned his head.

Crack!

The sound of his bones colliding was truly gruesome.

Muscles had grown on Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi’s body, which had been nothing but skin and bones. The plundered internal energy was instantly drawn into his dantian, where impurities were removed to increase his demonic power, and the absorbed life force was used to restore the strength of his vessel, his body.

‘This body is enough for now.’

It was a body that wouldn’t last long anyway.

He had awakened his true power with Mok Gye-Dam’s Demonic Qi, and he had removed the impurities from Myeong Do-Gang’s insufficient demonic energy to extract only the pure demonic core and increase its amplification power.

Krrrrrr!

The demonic energy that had spread throughout his body returned to his dantian, and the demonic energy that had returned to his dantian spread throughout his body again, constantly increasing his power.

“W-What is it?!”

“Elder!”

The guards came running from afar. They had felt an unusual flow of power.

Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi looked down at his hands.

The sharp fingernails were dyed black. They were shaped like the claws of a hawk.

A bitter look flashed across Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi’s face for a moment.

‘I tried to break free from the demonic path and reach the end with my own martial arts.’

Contrary to his thoughts, his body was being completely dyed by the demonic path.

“H-Huh!”

“W-Who are you!”

The guards swung their swords at Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi.

Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi’s demonic eyes unleashed a terrifying killing intent.

“You asked who I am.”

Chiriring!

The long iron chain hanging on the wall moved on its own and wrapped around Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi’s arm.

The guards’ faces turned pale.

Fwoooooosh!

The powerful energy wave that erupted from Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi’s body knocked down more than a dozen guards.

“You are not enough. Bring me more prey.”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The iron chain pierced the dantians of nine guards.

Through that chain, the guards’ demonic energy began to flow into Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi’s body in an instant.

* * *

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The iron staff and fingers that were striking in succession created a tremendous resonance.

Makwon’s eyes deepened.

‘He’s strong.’

It wasn’t a deliberate strike, but even with the claw techniques he was swinging with a smile, a strong pressure was being transmitted.

“Are you the Hundred Soldiers Divine Lord!”

Makwon’s face contorted.

The opponent’s voice pierced his ears like needles. The voice itself was heavy and low, as if a rock had been placed on it, but the feeling transmitted to his eardrums was very sharp and piercing.

“Shut up!”

Makwon swung his iron staff horizontally and vertically.

Clang!

A quick and short single strike.

It was an attack that didn’t seem like much, but the face of Ya Hyeok, who had blocked the staff technique, was filled with surprise.

“This guy! He’s strong!”

“Then would I be weak!”

Kooong!

As he pushed out his iron staff with a stomp, a huge gust of wind erupted from the end of the rotating staff.

A bright smile appeared on Ya Hyeok’s face.

“Good! Very good!”

The moment black demonic energy gathered in his hands.

Kwaaaang!

With an explosion, the ground within a radius of ten yards was slightly depressed by the bizarre pressure.

It was a fierce battle between the top experts who had reached the pinnacle of the Central Plains. Of course, if one were to be sucked into it, it would be difficult to survive.

Makwon glanced at his group.

The group was fully prepared. Some were nervous, but the face of Hwang Seok-Tae, who could be said to be the leader of the group, was filled with sternness.

‘My younger brother said that in a large-scale battle, he could exert as much influence as Seong Cheon.’

If Yeon Ho-Jeong said so, then it was so.

He saw over a hundred swordsmen coming in from behind this beast-like expert. They all seemed to be powerful forces, and among them, there seemed to be more than ten swordsmen who had broken through the wall of the martial arts. [achieved a high level of mastery]

With that level of power, it would be no exaggeration to say that it was a thoroughly compressed great sect-level force. In reality, there were only three or four swordsmen who had reached a level comparable to Hwang Seok-Tae, Paeyul, and Bu Seon, but the momentum of the other swordsmen was also very sharp and not to be underestimated.

‘Let’s not worry. I’ll trust them for now.’

At that moment, Ya Hyeok charged in like a gale.

“Where are you looking!”

Kwaaaang!

Makwon’s body was pushed back five yards.

‘He’s incredibly reckless.’

He realized with this one move. He was an opponent he couldn’t beat with strength alone. His raw power alone was so strong that he could rival Yeon Ho-Jeong, or even surpass him.

But a fight isn’t just about strength.

Kooong!

Makwon, who had regained his stance, fully unleashed the Heavenly Martial Divine Weapon Qi [a powerful form of internal energy].

Faaaaaak!

The silvery-white, radiant true energy looked like the blade of a weapon forged by a master craftsman.

A slight tension flickered in Ya Hyeok’s eyes, which had been torn open. He had thought that he was an opponent worth playing with, but when he actually unleashed his true power, he realized that he wouldn’t be able to easily defeat him.

“This guy!”

Krrrrrr!

Black demonic energy rose like a cloud from Ya Hyeok’s body.

The Beast Demonic Art, one of the Ten Great Guardian Demonic Arts of the Blood Demon Sect, was fully unleashed.

Makwon grinned.

The density of the amplified power was enormous. It was not something to laugh about.

But the reason why he was smiling without realizing it was probably because of the unique martial artist’s competitive spirit, which affirmed the existence of a formidable opponent worth risking his life against.

“Come!”

Faaaaaaaaang!

It was a bizarre movement.

He charged, slamming the ground with his thick, long arms. His back, full of enormous muscles, was also slightly curled, making him look like a truly giant beast.

Ya Hyeok’s hand aimed for Makwon’s head.

Kwaang!

Even without sweeping the ground, five furrows were carved into the ground.

Makwon, who had charged in diagonally from the side, grabbed the center of his iron staff and swung it.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

He struck a series of blows on both ends of the staff. Those quick single strikes all hit Ya Hyeok’s body.

Kwaang!

As he blocked the elbow that was being swung as if he didn’t care, Makwon’s body was pushed back three yards again.

Flash!

He immediately turned his body and charged, but his movements were beyond reason. It was a movement that could not be seen with the joint structure of the human body, like a possessed tiger charging.

Woo woo woo woo!

Makwon’s iron staff was dyed with a silvery-white, radiant light.

The Heavenly Martial Divine Weapon, which was rotating while sucking in the dry air of the Azure Sea, gradually became sharply focused.

Whooooom!

Ya Hyeok’s fist came in, aiming for Makwon’s left cheek.

Makwon’s body tilted forward and downward, and the iron staff flew.

‘Piercing Dragon to the Heavens.’

Kwaaaang!

Ya Hyeok’s body rotated and was pushed back ten yards.

It was a powerful strike focused on one point. It was a thrust that was closer to a spear technique than a staff technique.

Sizzle.

Blood flowed from Ya Hyeok’s side. It was only a little, but a piece of flesh had been torn off.

Thud!

A wound burst open on Makwon’s forehead belatedly. His skin had been torn because he couldn’t withstand Ya Hyeok’s fist pressure.

Ya Hyeok growled.

“This guy, you’re pretty good.”

Makwon grinned.

“You’re just a bear with a lot of strength. I’ll show you the power of a human.”

“You crazy bastard!”

The two charged at each other again.

It was a life-or-death battle with no compromise, pushing each other to their limits.