Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 143

‘Who is it?’

Thud!

“Cough!”

Cheokgang was forced to retreat, coughing up blood.

Ah-Gwang, who had blown Cheokgang away with a powerful single strike, kept his eyes fixed on Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘The others are all clumsy. There are so many who haven’t even cut a person before. But that guy…’

The way he effortlessly crushed his subordinates’ heads with his palm strikes.

There was no hesitation in the series of movements from initiating the attack to finishing it. Three of his subordinates were killed in an instant by his extremely natural killing moves.

‘He’s good in real combat. He’s killed countless people.’

The Eumsa Clan members were all hardened survivors who had experienced hellish real battles.

That’s why they knew. Now was not the time to attack Yeon Ho-Jeong.

They instinctively knew that it was better to kill the rabble first and then attack him later, rather than clumsily attacking Yeon Ho-Jeong, so they didn’t rush in.

And Ah-Gwang also realized the danger of Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘A true master who can use more than 100% of his skills in real combat.’

At that moment, Ah-Gwang’s gaze fell on the huge axe that Yeon Ho-Jeong had placed beside him.

‘……?!’

Was the strange sense of incongruity that Yeon Ho-Jeong was emitting too great?

The axe looked grand yet flamboyant at first glance. And it was huge. It looked like it would be difficult for even a decent martial artist to lift and swing.

‘A large battle axe…? Could it be!’

In an instant, he thought of a person who had been building a splendid reputation recently.

A young master who had the guts to fight against the former number one martial artist despite being a junior, a young master whose martial arts were even evaluated as being equal to or greater than the One Dragon Three Peaks [a reference to a group of top martial artists].

Ah-Gwang shouted.

“Stop!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

After a fierce exchange of swords, the Eumsa Clan members all retreated to the rear.

Even though they had been pushing so aggressively, they were as fast as the wind when they retreated. They were trained to respond immediately to their superior’s orders.

It was like watching a well-trained army. Yeo Guk felt a chill run down his spine as he watched.

‘Different. Completely different from us…’

Ah-Gwang opened his mouth.

“Are you the Wall Mountain Tiger General?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“You should have stayed far away.”

The axe was good, but it was too distinctive.

A subtle sense of wariness appeared in Ah-Gwang’s eyes.

“How did the eldest son of the Yeon family end up here?”

“Why wouldn’t the eldest son of the Yeon family come when there are so many junior masters from the Nine Sects?”

Ah-Gwang closed his mouth.

‘Damn it.’

The rumors about the Wall Mountain Tiger General were widespread throughout the Central Plains. But Ah-Gwang didn’t believe that all the rumors were true.

The greatest value in the Black Path was survival.

It was natural to risk one’s life to climb to a higher position, regardless of whether one was on the black or white path, but if one’s life was truly in danger, it was natural to plan for the future.

Ah-Gwang, who was born into the Black Path, could not believe in the existence of those who risked their lives alone against a large organization, and he could not easily accept it.

In the end, the truth about the rumors about the Wall Mountain Tiger General was one of two things.

‘Either he has built up martial arts to the point where he is not threatened by even a prestigious family, or the rumors are too exaggerated.’

Of course, he had to believe the latter. Yeon Ho-Jeong was said to be only about twenty years old.

And that thought hadn’t changed even at this moment.

‘However… he’s definitely not ordinary.’

He could smell the scent of blood that only those who had waded through a sea of blood could smell.

Ah-Gwang pointed his sword at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“I don’t know how you found out about this place, but…”

“This is a letdown. Let’s start sealing it off.”

Ah-Gwang frowned at Yeon Ho-Jeong’s cold words.

What did he mean?

It was then.

‘……?!’

Whoosh.

A terrifying flow of internal energy was sensed from the cliff far away.

The power was so intense that everyone there, not just Ah-Gwang, turned their heads to look.

Whoosh!

A strong wind blew.

The transfer of internal energy, which was beyond imagination, seemed to change even the flow of the atmosphere.

Ah-Gwang felt a chill run down his spine from the powerful force and trembled.

Ting!

A clear sound like plucking a string of a zither rang out.

Boom!

A chilling gust of wind gathered at one point and shot towards the end of the left cliff, where a pile of rocks was clustered.

Kaboom!

The cliff collapsed with a roar, and countless rocks lost their way and fell to the bottom.

Crash! Thud!

The path of the valley was blocked with thick dust.

Moreover, that attack was not just once.

Thud!

A woman who had soared into the air with a flamboyant movement held a red bow and aimed at the right cliff. A blue vortex was created along with a solid iron arrow on the string of the crimson lotus she was pulling.

A strike with all her might.

Thud! Kaboom!

This strike was decisive.

She poured a Dragon Tooth Cannon [a powerful archery technique] into a weak spot in the ground, causing the rocks piled on the cliff to fall directly into the valley entrance.

If Muk Bi, who had trained in the mountains her whole life, had enough power, this much was not difficult.

Thud! Thud!

Muk Bi, who had sealed off the valley entrance with her terrifying archery, unfolded a movement technique like the wind.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

It was a divine movement.

She came down the edge of the cliff, then flew left and right, and then, as if she were a celestial maiden, flew a great distance and landed behind Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Thud!

Muk Bi, who stood behind Yeon Ho-Jeong, pulled the bowstring and aimed at the Eumsa Clan members.

Once she had captured her prey, she focused fiercely. Muk Bi’s gaze, staring at the Eumsa Clan members, was as eerie as that of a predator. It was completely different from her usual gaze.

‘……!!’

Ah-Gwang felt his throat become dry.

‘This is ridiculous…’

No matter how weak the ground was, it was absurd to drop that many rocks with two arrows.

It was a martial art that far exceeded common sense. Even Ah-Gwang, who had a lot of experience in the martial world, had never heard of such a ridiculous archery.

Thud!

Ah-Gwang’s gaze turned to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

He had already pulled out his axe and placed it on his shoulder. He had lifted the heavy axe so naturally.

“I thought you’d be a good training target, but you weren’t.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong said to Cheokgang.

“Cheokgang.”

“Yes?”

Cheokgang, who had been staring blankly with a dazed expression as if he was fascinated by Muk Bi’s overwhelming archery, was startled and looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and nodded.

“You’ve done well. Your skills were lacking, but your idea of eliminating the enemy’s leader to lower their morale and your courage to rush in without hesitation were good. If you are a little more careful, you will be able to do your part.”

“Yes, yes!”

Cheokgang scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed for no reason. In fact, there was no grand reason as Yeon Ho-Jeong had said.

However, it was true that he had drawn his sword at the risk of his life. Cheokgang had shown his words in action.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at the junior masters.

Most of them had minor injuries all over their bodies. But there were no deaths.

Of course, that was also thanks to Yeon Ho-Jeong. When five of the junior masters who were out of their minds were about to die, he was the one who secretly sent out finger winds [a technique using internal energy] to help them avoid the crisis.

‘There’s no point in doing more.’

This time, he turned to Muk Bi.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Her concentration was rising fiercely. However, her breathing was slightly unstable, perhaps because she had fired two Dragon Tooth Cannons in a row.

Yeon Ho-Jeong grabbed Muk Bi’s shoulder.

“Can you do it?”

“Anytime.”

“Good, then let’s start cleaning up.”

Internal energy was put into the arrow that was aimed at the Eumsa Clan members.

Muk Bi, who had been watching them with a fierce gaze, twisted her upper body in an instant.

Thud! Whoosh!

The arrow, which was fired at an incredible speed, was aimed at Ah-Gwang’s head.

Swoosh!

It was fortunate that he had reacted in advance. The arrow that had grazed Ah-Gwang’s shoulder, who had instinctively twisted his body, pierced Sangyo’s shoulder.

Swoosh!

“Aaaagh!”

Sangyo fell with a scream.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong ran.

Flash!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had run out at a terrifying speed, swung his Mad Dragon Axe upwards at Ah-Gwang.

Ah-Gwang’s eyes widened.

‘This!’

It was a surprise attack. Ah-Gwang, who had been focusing on Muk Bi’s arrow, was flustered by Yeon Ho-Jeong’s tremendous charge and swung his broadsword.

Clang!

“Cough!”

It was a martial art of monstrous power.

When he blocked a heavy weapon weighing over eighty pounds, it felt like the hand and entire arm holding the sword would break. It was a terrifying weight.

Surprisingly, the attack didn’t end there.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The black axe, which created afterimages with a chilling sound of tearing through the air, confused Ah-Gwang’s eyes.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Thud!

“Aaaagh!”

The broadsword broke, and his right arm was cut off from the shoulder. He had suffered internal injuries and lost his arm without even being able to properly block the attack, let alone attack.

Ah-Gwang shouted, spitting out blood.

“What are you doing! Kill them all!”

Thud!

The Eumsa Clan members charged at a terrifying speed.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

‘Not so fast.’

Muk Bi’s Crimson Lotus Bow spat fire.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Holes were pierced through the heads of seven Eumsa Clan members who were attacking the junior masters.

It was a rapid-fire barrage of incredible speed. The senses and stamina gained from the close-range melee with Yeon Ho-Jeong were slowly showing their worth.

Muk Bi’s eyes, which had been burning with concentration, flickered faintly for a moment.

‘Killing.’

When she was kidnapped by Mong-ui, there was a time when she annihilated the assassins. But they were more like dolls than people. It felt more like breaking dolls than killing people.

It was not the same now. The fear that was cast in the eyes of the enemies was shaking Muk Bi’s heart.

But Muk Bi quickly regained her composure.

‘I am an archer. I must not waver.’

She thought of Baek Gung-Cheon.

The face of her brother, who had chosen death himself, saying that he wanted to see his younger sister’s achievements on his last journey.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

More than ten Eumsa Clan members fell on the spot.

Whoosh!

Behind Muk Bi’s divine archery, the Mad Dragon’s endless rampage began.

Swoosh!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s attack was far more destructive and brutal than Muk Bi’s.

He quickly identified the vital points of the formation and charged, then unleashed a storm of fierce blows.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Splatter!

The bodies of the Eumsa Clan members exploded indiscriminately, spraying blood everywhere.

Although he was the lowest, Ah-Gwang was the head of a faction in charge of one wing of the Thirty-Six Black Path Sects. Although he was pushed back from the beginning, he had the ability to block Yeon Ho-Jeong’s destructive offensive for a few moves.

However, the Eumsa Clan members were not.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s axe was resolute, and it displayed a merciless power as resolute as it was. At least with the martial arts of the Eumsa Clan members, no one could block his strike.

Ah-Gwang shouted again.

“Aim for the rabble of the Nine Sects!”

The eyes of the Eumsa Clan members turned bloodshot.

They were flustered by the relentless attacks of the two men and women, but they soon rushed at the junior masters with one mind.

Whoosh!

The white wind carried by the Mad Dragon Axe.

Kaboom!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was advancing with a powerful kick, swung his axe at the Eumsa Clan members.

Not only that. After Yeon Ho-Jeong’s storm-like martial arts subsided, Muk Bi’s icy wind-like archery swept through the enemy forces.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Splatter!

The number of Eumsa Clan members was decreasing at a terrifying rate.

The junior masters stared blankly at the two men and women.

In particular, Yeo Guk’s shock was beyond words.

He thought he was confident in real combat, but he couldn’t even handle one enemy properly, while those two men and women were displaying incredible power with merciless hands.

“T-This can’t be!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was crushing the enemy forces with ruthless axe blows, and Muk Bi, who was dealing with the remnants with her ghostly archery.

It was truly a perfectly coordinated combination. The two men and women’s relentless offensive was complete at that moment.

“L-Leader!”

Ah-Gwang snapped out of it at Sangyo’s cry, who was clutching his shoulder.

“Everyone retreat…!”

His eyes widened as if they would tear apart before he could finish his sentence.

Come to think of it, that Rakshasa-like [a demon in Hindu and Buddhist mythology] woman had blocked the entrance to the valley with her fierce archery. To flee there was like throwing oneself into a dead end.

‘Damn it!’

A deep murderous intent arose in Ah-Gwang’s eyes.

One mistake was about to bring about the destruction of the Eumsa Clan. He could no longer endure it.

“Pyeongsan!!”

A huge man was riding a horse at the rear of the Eumsa Clan.

A red, ominous light flickered in the man’s eyes.

Clang!

The chains shattered and scattered.