Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1306

Murderous intent flared in Ho Yeon-yul’s eyes.

‘Commander, allow us to eliminate that impudent fellow…’

‘Why haven’t you left?’

‘Yes?’

Dan Gong didn’t even turn to look at Ho Yeon-yul.

‘There should be an order I gave to you.’

He meant the order to protect Sa-eum-gwa.

Ho Yeon-yul lowered his head.

‘Three hundred members of Noe Hyeon-dan are protecting it like an iron wall. We are just…’

‘I clearly…’

Only then did Dan Gong turn to look at Ho Yeon-yul, his eyes blazing with dangerous energy.

‘Should have given the order.’

In that instant, Ho Yeon-yul felt a chill run down his spine.

‘I-I apologize! I will follow the order!’

With those words, Ho Yeon-yul and Noe Hyeon-dan turned back to the rear, to protect Sa-eum-gwa.

Dan Gong chuckled and looked at Yeon-wi, saying,

‘It seems you are quite something. That fellow has never disobeyed my orders before. He would jump into fire without a word.’

‘…’

‘That fellow led two hundred Noe Hyeon-dan back here… It seems he sensed something from you.’

‘Is that so?’

‘That fellow is one of the many seeds of the Lord. There are many useless seeds, but as you can see, that fellow was born with very good talent. His intuition is also top-notch, so you could say he inherited the Lord’s blood quite strongly.’

Dan Gong’s face grew colder.

‘If he didn’t come because of that intuition, is it your doing?’

‘…’

‘I wonder if your presence has paralyzed their reason.’

‘I refuse to listen to nonsense.’

Woo-oong.

The Imperial Sword released its sword cry.

‘I am one of the leaders of the Kangso Province martial forces, and I came here to end this situation quickly by beheading the enemy commander. That is my only purpose.’

‘Is that so?’

Dan Gong’s eyes narrowed.

‘Is that truly all?’

‘…’

‘Sword energy is pouring out of your eyes, and auspicious divine energy is swirling around your entire body.’

‘…’

‘I have never seen anyone who has trained their Upper Dantian [an energy center in the body] to that level, except for the Lord. Even that evil sorcerer is lacking compared to you. Although the way you handle the Upper Dantian is different, if you possess such a massive Upper Dantian, you must have deciphered something we cannot even imagine.’

A smile spread across Dan Gong’s lips.

‘My intuition was right. I knew it from the first time I fought you. Although enemy commanders like dragons and tigers are fighting the Four Kings of our sect far away, the core of this battle is you. If I kill you, we can easily achieve victory.’

‘…’

‘You said you came to kill me and end the war, but in the end, you came to deliver the flag of defeat to me along with your own life.’

It wasn’t an empty field, but the middle of the enemy’s camp.

Due to psychological pressure and the difference in actual power, it would be difficult to win even if they were equal in number. Moreover, Yeon-wi had even been defeated by Dan Gong once.

Anyone would think Yeon-wi’s actions were reckless. His ability to break through the enemy lines to get here was impressive, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a pointless act.

That’s what everyone would think.

Woo-oong! Woo-oong!

The Imperial Sword’s sword cry grew stronger.

‘…’

Dan Gong’s face, as he quietly watched Yeon-wi, was filled with murderous intent.

Except for the first few words, he hadn’t answered.

It wasn’t because he was disturbed by Dan Gong’s words, nor was he overwhelmed.

At this moment, Yeon-wi was only focused on killing Dan Gong. Slowly, but surely, his Imperial Sword was gathering power, ready to strike at the opponent’s heart at any moment.

‘He’s a remarkable one.’

The head of the Yeon family, the Judge’s Sword, Yeon-wi.

His reputation had spread even beyond the continent. Especially his exploits in the Imperial Palace were so great that some even compared him to the Four Kings of the Seongcheon Thirteen Seats [a group of powerful martial artists].

‘He’s far more peculiar than I thought. But…’

Hwaaaak!

Explosive energy erupted from Dan Gong’s body.

Yeon-wi flinched involuntarily. His body reacted first to the opponent’s terrifying aura.

‘A cat that has sharpened its claws after being defeated once cannot catch a wolf.’

Thud!

A powerful stomp. Yellow smoke rose from the spot where his foot had landed.

‘You came at a good time, Yeon-wi.’

At that moment, Yeon-wi moved.

Whoosh.

His movement, as always, was not flashy, but like a gust of wind.

He closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword at Dan Gong’s neck. It was a straightforward and simple strike.

However, Dan Gong could not ignore that sword. Even though he had won once, he was a dangerous opponent. The sword wound he had suffered from this guy hadn’t even healed yet.

Dan Gong, fully prepared, raised his left palm in an arc.

Clang!

With an explosion, the Imperial Sword lost its path.

A glint appeared in Yeon-wi’s eyes.

‘He’s strong, as expected.’

It was truly a formidable force. At least in terms of power, Dan Gong had the upper hand.

But Yeon-wi had many things that Dan Gong didn’t.

Flap!

It was as if the Wind God had descended upon his loose robe. It was a movement that showed that one could be elegant without being flashy.

He reached Dan Gong’s left side with a subtle movement and cut twice with the Imperial Sword.

Fapang!

Sword techniques aimed at the collarbone and ribs.

It didn’t carry the sword energy that was shot out from a distance.

Yet, it was terrifyingly sharp. If he allowed even one strike, he would suffer a fatal wound.

Dan Gong’s hands drew circles in different directions.

Woo-oong!

Two circles that sucked in the air subtly twisted Yeon-wi’s sword path. It was the Jade Wall of the Yin Desolate Divine Palm [a martial arts technique].

At that moment, blue energy surged from the Imperial Sword.

Bang!

It wrapped around the sword force aimed at the ribs, adding more power to the sword force aimed at the collarbone.

It was a technique that was almost too embarrassing to call a feint, but the Imperial Sword, which had doubled in power in an instant, created a crack in the Jade Wall’s shield.

Dan Gong’s eyes flashed.

Thud!

A strong stomp shook the area through the secrets of the Yin Desolate Dance, Mountain Yin Step [a martial arts footwork technique].

Kwakwang!

A terrifying shockwave spread in all directions centered on Dan Gong. The shockwave, which encompassed a radius of three jang [a traditional Korean unit of length, approximately 3 meters], swirled and spread to five jang, ten jang, and beyond.

Hwaaaak!

Even the distant barracks were caught in the shockwave and torn to shreds. The beds and various objects inside were also shattered and blown away as if caught in a typhoon.

Dan Gong was unleashing his full power from the start. There was nothing more reckless than engaging in a probing battle to assess the enemy’s level on the battlefield, so he decided to kill Yeon-wi as quickly as possible.

And that was the same for Yeon-wi.

Fapang!

He unfolded the Heavenly Cloud Movement Technique [a martial arts movement technique] like a footwork.

He didn’t get pushed back by the Mad Soul Tremor of the Mountain Yin Step. His body, like a dragon ascending a waterfall, like a flood dragon ignoring a storm, circled around Dan Gong and then unleashed his sword like lightning.

The Gentleman’s Sword of the Eight Gentleman Sword Styles [a set of sword techniques].

The tip of the sword, which curved like a zigzag, manipulated the air. The brilliantly spreading shockwave of the Yin Desolate was distorted along his sword path, gradually losing its power.

‘Excellent.’

Even though he was an enemy, he couldn’t help but admire him.

‘No one has ever tried to suppress the Yin Desolate martial arts with form!’

He was a guy who showed without a doubt why one shouldn’t be careless just because they had won once.

Dan Gong’s two fists moved quickly.

Papapapapang!

The air above the hill fluctuated. A powerful force was unleashed that could scatter even the clouds in the sky. Each strike was a fatal blow. It was a powerful fist that seemed capable of crushing rocks and everything else.

Saaak!

Yeon-wi’s clothes were torn or turned to dust in various places by the powerful fist pressure.

Yeon-wi’s eyes deepened.

‘It’s absolute internal energy. I felt it back then too, but this guy’s internal energy has no limit. If you only consider the depth of internal energy, it’s comparable to that Fist God Mu Heo Dae-sa [a legendary martial artist].’

It was a depth that was truly beyond imagination. It seemed like he could unleash this level of fist technique for several hours without getting tired.

‘However.’

Whooo-oong!

The Imperial Sword drew a beautiful curve.

It was like a brushstroke that cut across a piece of white paper in one stroke. The sword path, which was majestic and strict, yet seamless, was like looking at a painter’s painting.

Urrung! Kwang! Kwang!

The fist energy, which was bent haphazardly along the sword path, collided with itself, causing a massive explosion. The explosion cracked the ground and caused hot air to rise.

‘If the battle was decided by the amount of internal energy, I would have died a long time ago.’

The Sword Brush Painting Drama of the Eight Gentleman Sword Styles.

Dan Gong’s fist opened wide, emitting a powerful palm force.

Whoosh!

If a fist technique was like a hammer, a palm technique was like a thick stone wall. The palm force, which approached like a heavy push, could not be driven away even with the Sword Brush Painting Drama technique.

But Yeon-wi had no intention of stopping the Gentleman’s Dance.

He had several martial arts to deal with this palm technique, but he still tried to unfold the Eight Gentleman Sword Styles. It was instinct.

Kagagagak!

A sharp sound like a sword scraping against a stone wall echoed.

It was the Middle Sword Borrowing Path of the Eight Gentleman Sword Styles. As a technique specialized in defense and counterattack, it was perfect for opening a path at the moment.

However, it was not enough to block the power of the Yin Desolate Divine Palm.

Kwang!

Blood gushed from Yeon-wi’s mouth. His two feet were planted in the ground, fixing his body in place.

If he had evaded while using it, he could have blocked it sufficiently, but Yeon-wi deliberately stood and blocked it, even at a loss.

Clang!

Dan Gong, who was about to launch another attack, was greatly alarmed. The scattered palm force of the Yin Desolate Divine Palm did not disappear and returned to him.

‘What is this?!’

In an instant, Dan Gong saw that Yeon-wi’s left hand was extended towards him.

It was the Yeon family’s secret technique, the Reversing Dragon Palm. This was also a palm technique specialized in counterattacks.

‘This guy, did he give up his flesh to break through?’

He endured while minimizing the damage with the Middle Sword Borrowing Path for this very moment.

Dan Gong unfolded the Jade Wall again.

Kwakwang!

Experiencing his own palm force blocking himself was not very pleasant. Even though it was only a part of it, it was not easy to receive the power imbued with the Yin Desolate energy.

And it was at that moment.

Flash!

The Imperial Sword, which had blocked the opponent’s martial arts like an iron wall, shot out like a ray of light.

It was the Finishing Touch of the Eight Gentleman Sword Styles. This technique, which took its name directly from the idiom ‘Finishing Touch,’ was an extremely simple yet essential technique that pinpointed the core defense, and it could be said to be the simplest yet most difficult technique to master in the Eight Gentleman Sword Styles.

For the first time, a sense of urgency appeared on Dan Gong’s face.

Swoosh!

He turned his head with all his might, but the Imperial Sword’s sword path cut through his cheek and half of his earlobe.

Puhwaak!

The wound was quite deep. The bone wasn’t damaged, but the amount of bleeding was considerable.

It was a strike that could make one’s spine tingle, and murderous intent filled Dan Gong’s eyes.

‘You bastard!’

Hwaak!

He approached quickly with the Mountain Yin Second Step and unleashed a fist towards Yeon-wi’s abdomen.

Hwaaaaaak!!

It was as if all the air in the area was being sucked into his fist. The power gathered by the tremendous attractive force was a destructive force that could not be received.

‘If I can’t receive it.’

All the strength left his body.

It was the extreme of relaxation. If the dead Jong-ri Baek were to see it, he would slap his knee in admiration. It was a flexible posture that saved Yeon-wi’s life.

‘Deflect and then cut.’

The Yin Desolate Divine Fist struck Yeon-wi’s abdomen.

Bang!