Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1015

Namgoong Hyeon was completely frozen.

Like a child caught doing something wrong, he was stiff in that pose, with that expression.

“Why are you like that?”

Namgoong Seung slowly lifted himself from the rock.

He looked extremely exhausted. A powerhouse who had reached the Supreme realm would rarely be tired due to physical exertion unless they were fighting to the death.

“Is it so surprising that your grandfather is here?”

“Grand….”

Namgoong Hyeon, who was about to speak, coughed roughly. His throat was hoarse, and he couldn’t speak.

“Yes.”

Why was that?

His back seemed slightly bent.

His back was bent, and his face was full of fatigue, but his eyes were sharp.

Chills!

Namgoong Hyeon felt a fear that made it hard to breathe.

A reddish aura was visible within the blue light in his eyes. It wasn’t the look of someone seeing a family member.

This was dangerous.

It wasn’t the demeanor of the Central Plains’ greatest swordsman, who had devoted his entire life to the way of the sword and lived with pride. Even if he faced his lifelong rival, he wouldn’t show such a look.

“You must be puzzled. The elder of the family who went far away to train with old man Jongri suddenly appears in a place like this, so you must be surprised.”

“……!”

“Then, you must be even more puzzled as to why this old man is here of all places.”

Shudder.

Namgoong Hyeon’s body trembled.

Namgoong Seung’s eyes deepened.

“Why did you do it?”

There was no need for a conversation as family anymore.

Namgoong Seung asked the reason directly.

His question went to the root of the matter. He wasn’t asking who Namgoong Hyeon had met to become corrupted or why he had committed such a dangerous act. Instead, he was asking why he had grown up like this.

Therefore, the question was bound to contain self-reproach.

The fact that his own bloodline had become corrupted was ultimately because his own teachings as an ancestor had not been correct.

Because the ancestor had paid less attention, because the ancestor had not guided him properly, the descendant had changed like this.

“Grand, Grandfather.”

“In the past, when you and Pyo came to me for teachings, you weren’t like this. I knew you were already worn out then, but I understood because I had also had such experiences. When you are young, your joys are great, and your frustrations are great as well.”

“…….”

“I didn’t think it was too late. The blood of Namgoong is strong. You can face countless frustrations, but the strength to always rise proudly and point your sword at the world is ingrained in our bloodline.”

“I, I just…!”

“Therefore, while teaching you martial arts, I focused on giving you the righteousness of the sword rather than the sharpness of the sword. A sword shows the heart of a warrior as it is. Not the blade, but its form. Even if it wavers and sometimes breaks, it must always move forward straight.”

Namgoong Hyeon kept swallowing.

He didn’t understand his grandfather’s words. It was as if hundreds of bees were buzzing in his ears.

However, the will of his grandfather, Sword Saint Namgoong Seung, pierced through Namgoong Hyeon’s fear and shock and forcefully lodged itself in his mind.

“Pyo was the same. He was too arrogant. He was born with talent, but he lived forgetting the four words ‘a frog in a well’ [a person with a limited perspective], so his growth stopped.”

“…….”

“Being obsessed with being the best, mistaking oneself for being the best, and dreaming of being the best are all different.”

Namgoong Seung closed his eyes.

“Your father was obsessed with being the best. Pyo mistook himself for being the best. And I dreamed of being the best.”

“……!”

“You are different from anyone else.”

“Grandfather.”

“I truly never imagined that this difference would be so wicked as to turn a blind eye even to patricide.”

It was over.

Namgoong Hyeon realized that everything was ruined.

Namgoong Seung mentioned patricide. That meant he knew roughly how his father’s death had occurred.

“More.”

Swish.

Namgoong Seung drew his sword.

An unnamed sword. It was a sword without any special decorations, but a brilliant light bloomed from the blade as it caught the light that pierced through the leaves.

“Do you have anything to say?”

Namgoong Hyeon unconsciously took a step back.

Even when drawing his sword, there was no aura. Rather, that was even more frightening.

“I, I… no, I did this….”

Namgoong Seung’s eyes blazed.

Swoosh!

Namgoong Hyeon’s mouth fell open.

Thud.

Namgoong Hyeon, who had fallen to his knees, had a blank look in his eyes.

It was as if all the strength had left his body. Saliva was dripping from his open mouth.

“Hoo. Hoo.”

Namgoong Seung’s face turned pale in an instant.

The sword in his hand was already tilting towards the ground. His calm breathing became a little rough.

But only for a moment.

After taking a deep breath and calming his breathing, Namgoong Seung slowly walked towards Namgoong Hyeon.

“…….”

Namgoong Seung’s eyes wavered.

Namgoong Hyeon, who was kneeling with his head bowed, had already lost consciousness.

“What on earth….”

His eyes were filled with all sorts of emotions.

It was bound to be endlessly complicated. He hadn’t even recovered from the shock of his son’s death.

He had said this and that to his grandson, but in fact, the hardest thing was for Namgoong Seung.

‘I lived wrong.’

He had only clicked his tongue at his son’s twisted nature and had not corrected him properly. It was because he was already too grown up to correct.

He had at least believed that he wouldn’t tarnish the family name, so he had just devoted himself to swordsmanship.

But reality was different.

If he had properly disciplined his son from a young age, his grandsons wouldn’t have shown such ugly appearances.

And… his son wouldn’t have died so meaninglessly.

Tear.

Tears flowed from Namgoong Seung’s eyes.

‘Let’s die.’

Even a master of the Saintly Realm would have a hard time maintaining his sanity in front of his corrupted bloodline.

On top of that, his son had died, so Namgoong Seung’s inner fire and frustration had reached their peak.

‘I will kill you, and this grandfather will follow.’

The moment Namgoong Seung raised his sword.

Swoosh.

An old, worn-out sword touched Namgoong Seung’s blade.

Namgoong Seung turned his head.

There was Jongri Baek.

“You…?”

“Don’t do it.”

The two men had already decided to call each other brothers.

Jongri Baek shook his head.

“You, who know that death is not responsibility but escape, are doing this?”

“…….”

“You must lock your grandson in prison. And you, as an elder of Namgoong, must take responsibility, though it is harsh. That is the right way.”

Namgoong Seung, who was looking at Jongri Baek with teary eyes, lowered his sword weakly.

A look of pity appeared on Jongri Baek’s face.

They had considered each other rivals, but when they shared their martial arts theories, they found that they got along well.

The two had quickly become friends, and in a short time, they knew each other’s inner thoughts better than anyone else.

So, Jongri Baek understood Namgoong Seung’s feelings. He didn’t have children, but if he had, he would have reacted no differently from Namgoong Seung.

Thud.

Jongri Baek placed a large bundle he was holding in his left hand on the floor.

“Is that…?”

“It’s a fire bomb. The Vice Leader was right. The area around the Martial Alliance Leader’s residence was the epicenter. I don’t know how powerful it is, but the explosion probably reached inside the Leader’s residence.”

Anger filled Namgoong Seung’s eyes.

It was extreme rage towards whoever had driven his son to death and given that object to his grandson.

Jongri Baek looked at Namgoong Hyeon and said,

“He used his well-honed mind sword [a technique that attacks the mind] like this. He cleanly blew away his consciousness… amazing.”

“I didn’t know I would use the power I gained from training with you so soon.”

“I know, right?”

“It was possible because my grandson’s level was much lower than mine. No one who has reached the Supreme realm would be affected.”

Namgoong Seung, who had regained his composure for a moment, slung Namgoong Hyeon over his shoulder.

“Let’s go, to the military headquarters.”

* * *

“You are amazing. How did you get there so quickly?”

“I rushed there like lightning before hiding in the mountains behind the Leader’s residence.”

Hong Ik-cheon clicked his tongue.

He was genuinely surprised, not just trying to elicit a reaction from the other person.

“How did you know that they were trying to blow up the area around the Leader’s residence?”

“I narrowed down the suspects to four people. Two of them were highly unlikely. Then only two were left, and those two hadn’t been in the Martial Alliance for long. You had the most time.”

“…….”

“You may have stirred up Namgoong’s family head, Namgoong Hyeon, and quite a few other people, but the important thing was what the reason for this situation was.”

Hong Ik-cheon silently looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.

“You are a pervert who is interested in people’s reactions and enjoys manipulating them. But you wouldn’t move without a purpose. You framed me, which means you intended to destroy me, but no matter how I look at it, your subsequent actions were too clumsy.”

“That’s right.”

“In the end, there is only one answer. You have no intention of destroying me. Of course, if that actually happens, it wouldn’t be a bad thing either.”

“…….”

“You had a clear purpose. You were trying to do something while the Martial Alliance was in turmoil and the attention of the leadership was diverted.”

“…….”

“It’s difficult to assassinate the leaders. No matter how skilled an assassin is, it’s difficult to get through here. In the end, it’s either information or disruption.”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled faintly.

“It’s almost impossible to steal information from the military headquarters, which is under the command of Military Advisor Jeagal. If so, the main purpose is likely to disrupt the entire alliance and damage the trust of the White Path factions in the Martial Alliance.”

“…….”

“In the meantime, the alliance has already become chaotic due to the death of the Namgoong family head. Then there aren’t many options.”

“Is that so?”

“It was amazing. Namgoong Hyeon’s jealousy towards me, and even using me to induce chaos within the alliance. Even if the Anti-Black Faction loses momentum, once distrust towards the Black Path has flared up, it won’t be difficult for it to flare up again.”

“…….”

“If you were an ordinary spy, you would have been enthusiastic about the explosion near the Leader’s residence, but you also took the pleasure you wanted in the process. In the end, that’s what tripped you up.”

Admiration finally appeared on Hong Ik-cheon’s face.

“You are truly terrifying.”

“I’m a demon, right? Demons are supposed to be terrifying.”

“I thought you were a unique person that I couldn’t understand with my head. But that wasn’t it. You are the same as everyone else. You’re just standing higher than anyone else.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

It was then.

Crackle!

Moyong Gun’s lightning energy swept through the entire room.

He surrounded the area with lightning energy without harming anyone.

The subtlety of his internal energy had reached its peak. Hong Ik-cheon’s eyes became strange.

“Family Head Moyong, you were also hiding your skills.”

“I never hid them. I just didn’t reveal them. However, I have thought a lot about how I could defeat you.”

“Me?”

Moyong Gun’s lips curled up.

“It’s the fate of a warrior. No matter how close someone is, when you see their skills, you immediately try to find a way to break them.”

Hong Ik-cheon shook his head.

“Both of you are far beyond common sense.”

“Are you any better?”

“So, is this the result?”

“You always twitch your index finger before using martial arts.”

“……?!”

“It doesn’t seem to be a habit, and it seems to be a neurological reaction due to the characteristics of your internal energy, but I don’t know the details. However, the important thing is that I know you.”

Hong Ik-cheon’s eyes widened.

Moyong Gun said calmly,

“Your martial arts involve manipulating extreme moisture. The way to make the fight advantageous against you is to drive away the moisture with the heat of lightning energy.”

“…….”

“You were so busy looking at others that you didn’t pay attention to yourself.”

Hong Ik-cheon, who had been quietly looking at Moyong Gun, nodded.

“I have lost.”