Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1043

‘Good.’ Chiriring! The two curved swords, now drawn, became a whirlwind, pressuring Yeon Ho-jeong. The crimson energy blooming from the tips of the blades was quite impressive. It moved naturally with the flow of the wind, and if one retreated, they would find themselves trapped in a prison of energy. It was a sword technique specialized in fast and flexible continuous attacks rather than powerful single strikes. Yet, the single strikes that aimed for openings possessed considerable strength. It pursued flexibility over strength, but it was strong when it needed to be. It favored continuous attacks over single strikes, but it unleashed single strikes without hesitation when necessary. It pursued lightness over heaviness, but it could achieve heavy suppression with its abundant internal energy when necessary. Seo Jeong-gwang’s sword technique was not just an external martial art; it was closer to a vast system of divine skill. ‘Hmm.’ Gi Cheon-ung, who was watching the duel between Yeon Ho-jeong and Seo Jeong-gwang from afar, showed a face of interest. ‘There aren’t many sword techniques like that even in our sect. Did that guy Yeon Ho-jeong teach it? Or did he learn it in the Mukryong Unit [a special military unit]? Either way, it’s quite interesting.’ Being fast and soft didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous. Rather, just looking at the nature of the sword technique, it seemed more violent than the Shin Hwa Sect’s [a martial arts sect] Scorching Yang Skill. ‘It’s not even complete. It seems like a young martial art that hasn’t been around for long… fascinating.’ There were subtle tremors in the fixed actions and forms. If one had mastered a well-matured martial art for a long time, such tremors wouldn’t be visible. ‘It hasn’t been around for long, but it’s still infinitely close to completion. The rest can be supplemented through actual combat.’ Gi Cheon-ung’s eyes sparkled as he internally analyzed Seo Jeong-gwang’s sword technique. ‘No, there aren’t no flaws at all.’ Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been receiving Seo Jeong-gwang’s fast and sticky sword techniques, suddenly flashed his eyes. Gi Cheon-ung muttered. “There.” Whoosh! Yeon Ho-jeong’s foot aimed for Seo Jeong-gwang’s right hip. It was a flaw that was revealed in the short moment of raising the sword. Before the issue of Seo Jeong-gwang’s power and speed, it was a point that could be considered a flaw in the technique itself. Paah! Seo Jeong-gwang didn’t block Yeon Ho-jeong’s attack. He simply poured out his internal energy with greater output, aiming for Yeon Ho-jeong’s collarbone. Kill before being killed. It was a brutal martial principle. Thud! Seo Jeong-gwang, who was hit in the foot, was thrown back. Even though his posture and internal energy were completely disrupted, Seo Jeong-gwang swung his sword to the very end. Swish! Of course, his sword didn’t touch Yeon Ho-jeong’s body. Seo Jeong-gwang, who was thrown back, staggered and regained his footing. “That’s enough.” At Yeon Ho-jeong’s words, Seo Jeong-gwang gasped for breath and sat down on the spot. “Haa! Haa! Damn it. It’s harder than fighting a tiger.” It meant that this sparring, which wasn’t a life-or-death battle, was harder than engaging in a life-or-death battle with a four-hundred-pound tiger without internal energy. Yeon Ho-jeong smiled and said, “Impressive. I didn’t know you could transform the Flying Blood Hawk Sword to this extent.” “Was it different from my previous martial arts?” “It was different. ‘Then’ you and now you have seen and heard different things.” “Which is superior?” “It’s impossible to discuss superiority. They were martial arts that highlighted each other’s enlightenment.” Seo Jeong-gwang nodded. If that was the level of evaluation, then it was worth the life-risking training. “Your internal energy and techniques have all grown well without lacking in any aspect. I look forward to your future development.” “Thank you, but I’ll rest for now.” Seo Jeong-gwang lay down on the spot, catching his breath. It was a place to prove his worth to the person he served as his lord. He felt exhausted in mind, body, and even soul. He would need to rest for at least half an hour. “Rest and then go in to eat.” “If it goes down my throat.” Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled and turned his body. Gi Cheon-ung, who was leaning against a large tree in the distance with his arms crossed, smiled. “He’s a prodigy.” Swoosh. Although he was quite far away, Yeon Ho-jeong’s steps were so fast that it was hard to believe even when seeing it with one’s own eyes. Yeon Ho-jeong, who had approached Gi Cheon-ung in an instant, asked bluntly, “Did you come to analyze the people who will become enemies someday?” “I only need to analyze you. That guy’s martial arts were certainly great, but they weren’t worth analyzing yet.” “If you can’t say anything good.” Gi Cheon-ung asked in a leisurely voice, “Are you moving the organization?” “Who did you hear that from?” “It’s being heard from everywhere.” “That’s right. The underground life must be tiresome, so we need to move to a place with good sunlight.” “With the war right around the corner, you’re making such a reckless move.” Yeon Ho-jeong snorted and walked away. Gi Cheon-ung uncrossed his arms and followed behind him. It seemed he was quite interested in Yeon Ho-jeong. “Moving the organization will take a lot of time. It’s not just a simple move, you’ll have to change the organizational structure, and the issue of getting used to the new residence isn’t something you can take lightly.” “You don’t need to worry about it.” “I have to worry. I came to fight together.” “You’re shameless.” “I don’t care how you see me, but I’m sincere.” “If you’re sincere, then tell me about the situation of the Shin Hwa Sect.” “The situation of the Shin Hwa Sect?” “Even though you’ve been in seclusion for a long time, you must have ruled for a while, and you didn’t come straight to the Imperial Palace after ending your seclusion, did you? You must have seen how the current Shin Hwa Sect is operating, so tell me about it.” Gi Cheon-ung’s eyes deepened. ‘Look at this guy?’ He recalled the words of the man who once called himself the Son of Heaven of the continent. ‘How long have you ruled? Even if it’s been torn, broken, and crushed, there must be things that only you can know amidst those changes. I’m asking you to tell me that.’ The emperor’s words were being repeated by this guy named Yeon Ho-jeong. They were completely different people, but their perspectives on the world were very similar. Even their heights were similar. That’s how it looked to Gi Cheon-ung. ‘Indeed, is this why the world calls him a hero?’ Gi Cheon-ung said calmly, “I don’t know the details. However, I know that my son has been seduced by the Evil Sound Cult Leader and has taken all the power into his hands.” “Let’s start from there.” “Hmm?” “I understand that you don’t want to kill your son, but what was the reason for trying to bring only the people who followed you to the Imperial Palace? Surely, the young sect leader’s martial arts haven’t surpassed yours.” “Absolutely not to that extent.” “If it were me, I wouldn’t kill him, but I would have suppressed him somehow and then tried to fix the sect’s system.” “That’s why I came. I originally intended to kill my son and die with him. I was going to use all my last martial arts for that. But I couldn’t.” “You were mindful of the Evil Sound Cult Leader.” “That’s right. If things continued as they were, the Shin Hwa Sect might have been destroyed. In the worst case, it could have been absorbed under the Evil Sound Cult Leader.” “Are there so few talented people in the Shin Hwa Sect?” “I heard that quite a few of those wonderful talents died at your hands.” “That’s because they attacked first. And we should exclude the dead ones. Even with the people left in the main sect, you could have managed the organization somehow, right?” Gi Cheon-ung smiled bitterly. The conversation with the emperor had also flowed in this way. “In the Art of Transformation, there is a way to make the opponent’s transformation your own. It’s similar to the commonly known Absorption Technique in the Central Plains, but it’s more difficult, but there are no side effects.” “……” “My son has taken hold of the transformations of the power holders under him.” “What do you mean?” “I don’t know exactly either. However, it wasn’t a normal Art of Transformation. It seems like he mixed it with some kind of Evil Sound Cult’s sorcery. If they disobey or rebel against my son’s orders, their transformations will be lost.” Yeon Ho-jeong frowned. “Is that possible?” “As I said, I don’t know exactly. But among the Evil Sound Cult’s sorcery, there is one that enforces a compulsory oath of loyalty. If that was combined with the Art of Transformation, it’s entirely possible.” Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened. He thought he knew more about the Evil Sound Cult than anyone else, but he realized that he was just a drop in the bucket compared to Gi Cheon-ung. ‘Perhaps.’ He thought that Ham Mu-heon of the Southern Water Palace might have also been caught in such a technique. Perhaps most of the Evil Sound Cult’s followers were like that. Even the spies they had planted in the Central Plains had a significantly higher share of the Evil Sound Cult. Wasn’t even the Sword Saint of the Mount Hua Sect [a famous martial arts sect] a spy of the Evil Sound? Although they had been trained from a very young age, he thought that they might have been secretly subjected to the sorcery of the oath of loyalty. And it was possible that some old master of the Mount Hua Sect had used Taoist sorcery to remove it. A shadow fell over Gi Cheon-ung’s face. “I recognized at a glance that most of the leadership was caught in such sorcery.” “……” “But there was one person who wasn’t caught in that sorcery.” “Was it the Guardian Deity Yaharuk?” “That’s right. He wasn’t caught in such sorcery. He endured and endured, waiting for me. That’s why I trusted Yaharuk.” Gi Cheon-ung closed his eyes. “In the end, none of my people were left. It seems that a very small number of the leadership caught in the sorcery wanted my rule. They didn’t say it, but their eyes and atmosphere were like that.” “……” “But no one opened their mouths to condemn my son’s wrongdoings. It seems they didn’t want to die either.” “Aren’t those the ones who remained after excluding those who refused and died?” “That’s also true.” That’s why Gi Cheon-ung made the choice to become an enemy for the sake of the Shin Hwa Sect. If he killed the young sect leader right away, he would die, and the Shin Hwa Sect would collapse, and even if he survived, he would be cut off by the Evil Sound Cult Leader. Therefore, he had no choice but to join forces with the Central Plains to shake the Shin Hwa Sect from its roots. “That’s strange.” “I don’t lie. Can’t you just believe me now?” “I don’t think your words are lies.” “Then?” Yeon Ho-jeong stopped walking. All sorts of thoughts raced through his head, appearing and disappearing in succession. Gi Cheon-ung looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with an unreadable gaze. Even Gi Cheon-ung, who had lived for a long time, couldn’t tell what he was thinking. After a while. “Did you tell His Majesty the Emperor these words?” “……!” “What? You didn’t tell him?” “I did.” “I thought so.” Yeon Ho-jeong frowned. “If it’s like this, it’s a dead end… It’s probably impossible for the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance].” “……” “Didn’t His Majesty say anything? Like the war…” “He said that the Murim should strike first, that they had to.” Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Gi Cheon-ung. Admiration appeared on Gi Cheon-ung’s face. “Your insight is truly terrifying. The Emperor’s strategies were also surprisingly great, but you’re faster.” “Damn it, I knew it. But why didn’t you tell me until now?” “Vice Leader Yang said he would tell you. But he seemed reluctant to say it.” “…I know why.” “I’m more curious about you. Even though you didn’t know that, you were trying to move the organization in this situation where you didn’t know when the war would break out?” “That’s what I’m saying. Why did I do that?” Gi Cheon-ung realized. Yeon Ho-jeong didn’t know it in his head, but he already intuitively knew who had to make the first move. At least, he did so unconsciously. However, there is a difference between knowing by intuition and knowing by analysis. Yeon Ho-jeong turned his neck this way and that. A chilling sound was heard. “Defense wasn’t my specialty in the first place. I actually like this situation.”