Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 242

Kwaarrrrng! A black cloud of dust billowed up from the explosion. Flash! Flash! Lightning energy crackled through the clouds, emitting a menacing glow. Cheongho, who was about to attack again, quickly retreated. His movements were incredibly agile, but his body was already reaching its limit. ‘This can’t be.’ Cheongho’s eyes, which had been filled with a savage, murderous intent, now showed a hint of bewilderment. ‘Was the head of the Six Great Clans this strong?!’ Moyong Gun’s martial arts were truly jaw-droppingly powerful. Baekseo, the eldest of the Twelve Zodiacs [a group of elite warriors], and the one who had served Yang Cheon the longest, was known to possess martial prowess comparable to the heads of the Six Great Clans. However, there were others among the Twelve Zodiacs who were close to Baekseo’s martial skill. Notably, Chuk (Ox), Jin (Dragon), Mi (Sheep), and Cheongho himself, In (Tiger). ‘It’s different.’ Cheongho lowered his stance. ‘I don’t know the true extent of the martial arts of the heads of the Six Great Clans. But Moyong Gun’s martial arts are definitely exceptional, even among them.’ Fwaaaak! The dust cloud split in half, and a streak of blue lightning struck towards the Water Dragon. “Eek!” Kwaarrrng! The lightning strike, which grazed the Water Dragon’s sleeve, cleanly sliced a rather large rock in half. The Water Dragon was superior to Cheongho and Gwanggyeon in terms of evasion. Yet, the Water Dragon was only focused on dodging, not even attempting a counterattack, which showed how powerful and fast the sword strike was. ‘What the hell is that?’ Fwaaaang! Cheongho, pouncing like a tiger that had found its prey, swung his Tiger Iron Claws. ‘What kind of martial art is that?!’ Moyong Gun’s eyes flashed. Kwaang! “Kuh!” Cheongho coughed up blood as he was thrown back, his body scattering blue sparks of lightning. Cheongho tried to get up quickly but suddenly lowered his upper body. “Uweeek!” It was a massive amount of blood. The Tiger Iron Claws, which could easily tear through iron plates, couldn’t even scratch Moyong Gun’s internal energy barrier. Rather, it was Cheongho who suffered internal injuries from the force of the counterattack. ‘Terrifying!’ He couldn’t believe that such martial arts existed in the world. “Truly…” Moyong Gun frowned. “Truly troublesome things. I must admit, you are persistent, if nothing else.” Cheongho had good stamina, the Water Dragon was good at evasion, and Gwanggyeon had a good eye for exploiting weaknesses. If he hadn’t mastered the ancient techniques, the Thunderclap Art and the Unfeeling Heavenly Thunder Style, he would have been in serious trouble. In a one-on-one duel, the Family Head’s Art, the Heaven and Earth Unraveling, would not be far behind the Thunderclap Art. But in this chaotic battle, the lightning energy itself could pose a psychological threat to the enemy. That was why Moyong Gun could remain calm even while facing three supreme masters. ‘They’re holding out better than I expected.’ Moyong Gun glanced up at the sky. ‘Is this enough?’ The setting sun, which had turned red, was slowly disappearing into the darkness. By now, the task force should have escaped the influence of the Mukryong Faction [a powerful organization] to a considerable extent. ‘Yeon Ho-Jeong.’ Moyong Gun frowned. ‘He knew that I would cover his back no matter what… Huh!’ He couldn’t figure out who he had recruited to strike at the Mukryong Faction. Well, if he set his mind to it, gathering people wouldn’t be that difficult. ‘He’s going to make the main family and the Mukryong Faction enemies?’ What a daring fellow. He had been impressed several times before, but this attack was truly unexpected. He hadn’t even considered that he would be deceived. ‘He’s going to reduce the influence of the Honam main family, is that it?’ Yeon Ho-Jeong would know that the Moyong Family wouldn’t collapse with this level of trickery. It wasn’t because the Moyong Family was stronger than the Mukryong Faction. At least for now, the Mukryong Faction couldn’t touch the Moyong Family. Attacking the Moyong Family would be tantamount to declaring war on the Martial Alliance [a governing body of martial artists]. Unless their power was equal, the Mukryong Faction could never take such a risk. However, since the Mukryong Faction had been attacked under the name of Moyong, they would have no choice but to keep a close eye on the Moyong Family. If that happened, the Moyong Family wouldn’t be able to act as freely as they had before. They would always have to calculate where the Mukryong Faction might strike. Planting that ‘what if’ anxiety. For a large clan like the Moyong Family, that alone could cause significant restrictions and damage. ‘But, you know.’ Moyong Gun’s lips curled up. ‘It hurt quite a bit, but it’s not enough to make us falter.’ He would have to clash with the Mukryong Faction sooner or later anyway. He just had to think that the timing had been moved up a bit. However, there was one thing that puzzled him. ‘Does he think this is enough?’ He wasn’t sure about that. Was it really over here? Or would there be another attack that he hadn’t anticipated? “You dog bastard.” Gwanggyeon gritted his teeth. “How dare you attack the headquarters? You must have a death wish!” Moyong Gun replied calmly. “I don’t know. After all, it’s not like the righteous and the evil can coexist. Is there anything new about that?” “You son of a bitch!” “Well, whether the Mukryong Faction disappears or the main family disappears, it doesn’t seem like it’s any of your business.” Zzzzzzzing! A terrifying lightning energy was released from Moyong Gun’s sword. It was twice as powerful as anything he had used before. The three men’s faces were filled with shock at the sight. Moyong Gun said with a cold face. “I’m going to bury you all here.” He swung his sword powerfully. The Water Dragon shouted. “Dodge!” Flash! A blue sword light drew a huge crescent moon as it flew towards the three men. The density of power, the speed of the slash, and the range of internal energy release were on a different level than before. Even if they tried to dodge in advance, the speed at which the sword strike came was too fast, making it difficult to evade. ‘This is bad!’ Cheongho’s face was filled with dismay. ‘So that’s it!’ This attack was a fatal one. In other words, after using this level of sword strike, there would inevitably be an opening. The reason why Moyong Gun hadn’t used this sword until now was to drastically reduce the three men’s reaction speed. In fact, Cheongho couldn’t even think of dodging the sword strike that was right in front of him. It was because his body was not in good condition. ‘Damn it.’ Cheongho closed his eyes tightly. ‘Forgive my disloyalty for going before you…!’ That was when it happened. Crack! Thud! There was a gruesome sound of flesh tearing and something falling to the ground. Cheongho opened his eyes. He and Gwanggyeon were shocked. “…He was good at dodging like a rat. Now that I’ve caught one of them, the fight will be twice as easy.” Moyong Gun tapped his sword and took a breath. As Cheongho had guessed, this sword strike was a martial art that consumed too much internal energy to use continuously. But there was a gain. Swoosh! Swoosh! The lower half of the Water Dragon’s body, whose upper body had been completely blown away, spurted blood before collapsing. It wasn’t a slash but a stab. From the beginning, Moyong Gun’s target had been the Water Dragon, who was skilled in evasive maneuvers. “…!!” Cheongho and Gwanggyeon felt a chill run down their spines. “You two shouldn’t run away. No, you can’t run away. Aren’t I your enemy?” Crackling. A menacing lightning energy spread from Moyong Gun’s body. After unleashing an explosive blow, he was unable to completely control his internal energy for a moment. But that sight only instilled even more fear in Cheongho and Gwanggyeon. “Now, shall we begin the second round?” Cheongho gritted his teeth. “Gwanggyeon.” “…What?” “I’ll buy time somehow. Go back to the faction and request reinforcements.” “Don’t talk nonsense.” “Gwanggyeon!” “Do you think it’s even possible to escape? Can’t you see that crazy bastard’s internal energy? The moment we run, we’re dead.” Gwanggyeon growled. “We have to fight it out here, no matter what.” Cheongho nodded with a firm face. “Alright. Let’s end it here.” That was when it happened. Boom! A huge explosion and a terrible scream echoed from the western riverbank in the distance. The Moyong Family’s forces and the troops under the Twelve Zodiacs were engaged in a life-or-death battle. Of course, the fighting had been going on before. However, this explosion was particularly loud. Gwanggyeon cursed. “That bastard! Did you even prepare explosives?! You shameless bastard! Fine, even if I die today, I’ll take one of your arms…” Gwanggyeon, who was speaking, frowned. Moyong Gun’s face was not normal. His eyes, looking west, were filled with shock. “…Muyeon?” The Moyong Family’s forces, which were deployed along the road connecting the river and the mountains, did not have explosives. In the first place, it was difficult to obtain explosives. Besides, they were just sacrifices to secure a retreat. There was no need for them to have explosives. But Muyeon was different. Muyeon always carried small explosives for self-destruction. ‘Is it really Muyeon? No way!’ Muyeon was a master of stealth. If he was determined to hide his presence, even Moyong Gun wouldn’t be able to sense him. He was that skilled. Could it be that he was defeated? Why? How? He was someone with whom he had so much to do in the future. Was he really dead here? Zzzzzzzzzing! Heavenly thunder descended upon the merciless sword. “This won’t do.” Moyong Gun’s face was contorted. “The games are over, you trash.” Flash! The lightning sword strike swept over Cheongho and Gwanggyeon. Moyong Gun was consumed by anger, but unfortunately, his misfortune did not end there. * * * Dududududu. The sound of hooves shook the mountains and rivers. Nearly fifty warhorses, without exception, displayed great power. Their entire bodies were muscular, and with each push off the ground, they easily covered more than three yards. Their running itself was full of elasticity. It wasn’t possible to create such warhorses just because they were of good breed. They required extremely systematic management, including appropriate medicinal herbs, abundant feed, and timely running. Heeheeheeheeing! The warhorse running at the front let out a cry like a dragon’s roar. The warhorse, which was not carrying anyone on its back, looked particularly large and sturdy. Its neck and forelegs were covered with scars from spears and swords, indicating that it was a cavalryman with extensive battlefield experience. “Faster!” Right next to the riderless warhorse. A woman with a red bow on her back shouted in a loud voice. “We have half a day left! Keep your wits about you! We might be in battle soon!” At her shout, the fifty or so warriors following behind shouted. “Understood!” A resounding answer that drowned out even the sound of the horses’ hooves. It was a voice mixed with internal energy. They were all martial artists who had mastered excellent techniques. But they were not ordinary martial artists. Their appearance, wearing light armor on their shoulders, chests, arms, and shins, was already that of a complete army. Their eyes, each showing fighting spirit, possessed the composure and fortitude of veteran soldiers, and their unwavering spirit transformed into a huge military aura that shook the air. The independent mobile unit of the Martial Alliance was rapidly moving south. It was the charge of the Myeolsa Army, the best combat unit of the White Path Martial World [a faction of martial artists] of the time.