Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 215

Gang Ryang’s eyes widened, as if they would tear.

‘Who is it?’

It was truly a spectacular entrance.

The ends of his clothes were torn and tattered, a testament to the explosive force with which he had arrived. It was clear he had focused solely on speed, disregarding his own well-being.

‘And this power…?’

Flash! Flash!

He had used immense power to dismantle the Black Sheep, but it seemed he hadn’t fully dissipated the remaining energy. The surging true energy rippled from his entire body, scattering like lightning.

Gang Ryang’s eyes trembled.

‘This guy, he’s incredibly strong!’

He was a master beyond imagination. For a moment, he was reminded of his deceased father’s martial prowess.

As Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Gang Ryang, who was staring up at him with shocked eyes, he was filled with a strange emotion.

‘So, this is how we meet.’

The Five Great Generals all served Yeon Ho-Jeong with utmost respect. However, most of them were older than him.

Many called Yeon Ho-Jeong ‘hyungnim’ [older brother], saying that age didn’t matter when forming relationships, and that anyone worthy of respect should be treated as an older brother.

But Gang Ryang was actually younger than Yeon Ho-Jeong. Perhaps that was why he was particularly respectful to him, even in private.

And now, they were meeting again in this life.

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his head.

“Calm your breathing. You need to restore your breath before you can recover your energy.”

“Yes…?”

“Close your eyes and focus on your blood flow. Make sure the blood circulates through every muscle, every fiber.”

“W-wait a minute! Who are you?!”

“If you fall behind, I’ll leave you.”

Gang Ryang swallowed hard.

A cold, imposing dignity emanated from his low voice. It was a powerful presence that made him feel compelled to obey.

‘Damn it.’

This was not the time to be picky. Many questions arose, but Gang Ryang immediately closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

He didn’t trust a stranger. But right now, he had no choice.

Fwoooosh.

Realizing that Gang Ryang was stabilizing his breathing, Yeon Ho-Jeong glared at the Black Leader.

‘……!!’

The Black Leader felt a chill run down his spine.

‘An incredible master!’

The intangible aura emanating from his entire body seemed to be swirling uncontrollably.

‘Where did a master of this caliber come from?!’

At that moment, five Black Sheep members who had survived the brutal attack staggered to their feet.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

The Black Leader shouted.

“Scatter!”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

It was a belated cry.

In an instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s figure disappeared, and all the surviving Black Sheep members collapsed, spitting blood.

Yeon Ho-Jeong dusted off his hands. Blood dripped from his hands onto the ground.

Fwoosh!

The Black Leader used his movement technique to flee north.

‘An opponent I can’t defeat!’

He couldn’t even attempt to figure out who his opponent was.

If he got caught, he would die. Even the Black Leader, the strongest warrior under the Black Sheep, couldn’t help but feel fear in the face of Yeon Ho-Jeong’s murderous martial arts.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The Black Leader’s movement technique, propelling him through the valley water, was incredibly fast.

‘I need to get away from him first! I need to report to the Lord…’

That’s when it happened.

“Hah!”

Tap! Tap!

The Black Leader abruptly stopped his movement technique.

“……!!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong was already standing five paces in front of him, with his hands behind his back.

“You’re quite skilled.”

“……”

“But you know.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong tilted his head.

“That martial art, no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like a Black Path martial art.”

The Black Leader’s eyes wavered.

“Why is that? It feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before. The bizarre true energy emanating from your movement technique… It seems to be completely different from the Central Plains martial arts.”

Swoosh.

The raging energy slowly subsided.

But the murderous intent in his eyes gradually intensified.

“Where did you learn that martial art?”

Whoooom.

A faint glow emanated from the Black Leader’s hands.

He couldn’t escape. If that was the case, he had no choice but to fight.

‘I’m going to die.’

He was realizing death at an unexpected moment. He never imagined he would end his life on such a stage.

But if this was his fate, he had no choice but to accept it.

‘Lord. Although I may die in this distant land, I hope you will achieve your great ambition and become a great pillar of the Order…’

Whoosh!

‘Hah!’

A huge hand filled his vision.

It was a hand, but it didn’t look like a hand at all. It was as if a giant tiger was rushing at him with its jaws wide open.

Thwack!

The Black Leader lowered his head and grabbed Yeon Ho-Jeong’s wrist with both hands.

‘Pojulbok [Severing Strike]!’

He grabbed the wrist and forearm, folding the opponent’s arm and closing the distance. At the same time, he would strike the groin with his right knee and aim for the opponent’s face with his hardened forehead.

It was a smooth and natural movement. A technique he had practiced thousands, tens of thousands of times, until he had mastered it perfectly.

Thud! Crack!

“Cough!”

The Black Leader felt his vision blur.

He felt an intense pain that made him lose his mind for a moment. His forehead, which should have crushed the opponent’s nose, felt like it had been split in half.

“Oh ho.”

A broad smile appeared on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

“I thought it was a familiar martial art.”

Crack.

“Kuh!”

The consciousness that had flown away returned in an instant.

It was because of the terrible pain. His knee, which had aimed for the opponent’s groin, had been completely broken by the same knee strike.

Even in that situation, he was still holding onto Yeon Ho-Jeong’s forearm with one hand. It was an incredible will.

Yeon Ho-Jeong roughly rotated his arm.

Crack! Crack!

“Kuaaak!”

His right arm, which was forcibly holding onto the forearm, was broken from the elbow.

It wasn’t broken by internal energy or strength. He had torn the ligaments and broken the bones with a reverse joint. It was a fantastic move that could only be performed by someone who was extremely familiar with the structure of the human body.

“Was it called Pojulbok, I believe?”

The Black Leader, who was staggering from the immense pain, was startled.

‘He knows Pojulbok?!’

Thud!

“Kehk!”

The Black Leader’s body floated in the air, dangling. Yeon Ho-Jeong had grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.

‘Danger!’

He was about to strike Yeon Ho-Jeong’s head with his good left arm.

Tsutsutsutsu.

A sinister murderous intent surged like a thick fog.

The Black Leader’s body froze. The immense murderous intent pouring in through his eighty-four thousand pores bound his limbs.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s voice pierced his ear.

“Which of the three are you?”

“……?!”

“Are you Sayeum [Evil Lust], or Gwanghyeol [Mad Blood]? Or perhaps Sinhwa [Divine Fire]?”

“Hah!”

The Black Leader’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s smile deepened even further.

“So, it is you?”

“H-how did you know about us?!”

“I wonder. How did I know?”

Whirr!

The murderous intent that had enveloped the surroundings became as fierce as a blazing fire.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face, which had been smiling brightly, twisted into a demonic visage.

“Because of you bastards, I’ve suffered no small amount of damage.”

Burning hatred. Rage that had surged to the point of explosion.

He had controlled his inner energy so that only the Black Leader could hear him, but he almost raised his voice for a moment because he was so happy and angry. It was unlike the usually calm and calculating Yeon Ho-Jeong to make such a mistake.

“I’m so glad to see you.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong threw the Black Leader to the ground.

Kwaaang!

Unable to contain his surging anger, he had used too much force. The Black Leader felt as if every bone in his body was being crushed, and his mind went blank.

‘Who is he?’

In his fading consciousness, the Black Leader forced his eyes open and looked up at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘Just who is he that he knows about us…’

At that moment, the Black Leader gasped.

Hahahahaha!

A hearty laugh echoed faintly.

It was the maniacal laughter of the Black Path Grand Master, unable to contain his joy and anger. The sight of Yeon Ho-Jeong laughing loudly at the sky even hinted at madness.

The Black Leader’s face turned pale.

Behind the burst of laughter, a terrifying aura poured out like a volcanic eruption.

‘Crazy!’

He was a mad demon. There was no other way to describe him.

The most violent and cruel demon unit of the Order came to mind. Even those crazy slaughterers seemed more sane than the young man in front of him.

After laughing for a long time, Yeon Ho-Jeong looked down at the Black Leader with a smiling face.

His face was full of smiles, but his eyes were erupting with lava.

“It seems we have a lot to talk about.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong stepped on the Black Leader’s dantian [energy center].

Thud!

* * *

Gang Ryang swallowed hard.

“Have you finished catching your breath?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong approached with a blank face, holding the tattered Black Leader in his hand.

‘Crazy.’

The Black Leader’s body was brutally mangled. He had been so badly beaten that if it weren’t for his clothes, it would have been impossible to tell if he was a human or an animal.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled wryly and put the Black Leader down.

“He was quite a tough guy.”

Thump.

A strange groan escaped from the fallen Black Leader’s mouth.

Gang Ryang gasped.

‘He’s not dead?!’

Even in that state, he was still alive. He was a foe, but Gang Ryang couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“How’s your body?”

“Yes? Ah!”

Gang Ryang quickly lowered his head.

“I don’t know who you are, but I am deeply indebted to you. I will repay this debt without fail.”

“Of course, you have to repay it. I’m not someone who moves without a price.”

His voice was full of arrogance.

Gang Ryang felt strangely relieved by his words. If he had done it out of kindness, he would have been even more suspicious.

“Please tell me your name. When my business is done, I will definitely seek you out to repay my debt…”

“What is that business?”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t your business to catch and kill Yang Cheon, who destroyed the Guicheol Sword Clan?”

Gang Ryang was startled.

“H-how did you know that…?”

Come to think of it, this person had called out his name as soon as he had entered the battlefield.

‘He knows about me?’

That was something he should have thought about earlier. He must have forgotten it for a moment because he was flustered.

A look of wariness appeared on Gang Ryang’s face.

Seeing that expression, Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

‘He’s so honest.’

The emotions he held were clearly visible on his face. He was never good at deceiving anyone, but he didn’t expect him to act this naive.

“Stop talking nonsense and gather the corpses. We need to erase the traces.”

“……May I ask you just one question?”

“Go ahead.”

Gang Ryang’s eyes flashed.

“Are you with the Mukryong Faction?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong tilted his head.

“If I were with the Mukryong Faction, would I have needed to kill all of these guys?”

“Perhaps you might be trying to seize the credit by capturing the successor of the Guicheol Sword Clan…”

“Going so far as to kill your own allies? With my skills, I could just kidnap you?”

“……!”

Gang Ryang hesitated. Come to think of it, he was right.

Yeon Ho-Jeong said as he gathered the corpses.

“I’m not with the Mukryong Faction. Rather, I’m someone who’s trying to find out something from them.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll explain the details later. Hurry up and gather the bodies…”

That’s when it happened.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had straightened his back, looked south.

“Look at these guys?”

Gang Ryang’s eyes turned sharp.

“What’s wrong?”

“……”

“Benefactor?”

“It seems the Mukryong Faction has sent more people. Their murderous intent is quite strong.”

“Yes? Hah! Another enemy?!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“I like it.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“A festival of idiots fighting over credit. That idea, I like it very much.”

Swoosh.

Yeon Ho-Jeong put on the mask of one of the Black Sheep members.

“Things are going to be easier than I thought. You, follow me closely. If you can’t keep up, I’ll leave you behind.”