Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 252

The cold wind whipped at the collars of the two men’s clothes.

Thud!

The Guanglong Axe struck the ground, sending a powerful tremor through the earth.

Moyong Woo was once again struck by the imposing presence of the Guanglong Axe.

“I thought so when I saw it before, but it’s truly amazing how you wield such a weapon.”

“Once you get used to it, there’s nothing like it.”

“Wasn’t it said to weigh over eighty geun [approximately 100 pounds]?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s like swinging a person around.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been looking at Moyong Woo with a smile, suddenly turned expressionless.

Whoooosh.

A heavy gust of wind pushed back the cold winter breeze.

‘That’s it.’

Moyong Woo felt the quality of the wind change in an instant.

It was a sharp yet heavy wind. Within that unrestrained wind, the fangs of a beast were gleaming.

“The martial art you’ve mastered, was it called the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’ve never heard of such a martial art.”

“There are many martial arts that, despite being unparalleled throughout the ages, have faded away without gaining fame.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Srrr.

Moyong Woo lowered his stance.

It wasn’t a significant lowering. He merely slightly bent his upper body and moved his left foot about a step back.

Whoosh.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.

‘He’s changed.’

As he changed his stance, his aura also changed. The aura that had been like a noble scholar when he was standing still transformed into a cold, hard energy like steel the moment he lowered his stance and placed his hand on the sword hilt.

The change in his aura was incredibly smooth. It was so subtle that it would have been difficult to notice if one wasn’t paying attention.

‘He’s different from me in many ways.’

Yeon Ho-jeong’s changes were abrupt, even flamboyant.

Like the weapon he used and his own nature, the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art also pressured his opponent from the start of the fight with a fast and powerful momentum. That’s why his martial art sometimes appeared rough.

Moyong Woo was different.

He was calm and gentle. Yet, he was as fierce as anyone else.

‘Moyong Gun’s martial art isn’t the family’s main discipline. In my past life, and when he faked my death this time, the martial art he showed wasn’t the Moyong family’s known martial art.’

A martial art that manipulates lightning energy is hard to find even if you searched the entire martial world.

The martial art Moyong Gun had mastered was exactly that. It was a martial art that used destructive lightning energy to unleash lightning-fast and powerful attacks.

‘In other words, now is the time to properly test the orthodox martial art of the Moyong family.’

The corners of Yeon Ho-jeong’s lips curled up.

‘This is interesting.’

Even without drawing the Vermilion Bird energy, his heart was pounding.

It was a match against the Moyong family’s martial art, specifically the family’s main discipline.

“Well, then.”

Yeon Ho-jeong stepped forward with his left foot.

“Shall we begin?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Whack!

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yeon Ho-jeong charged forward.

Moyong Woo’s eyes wavered.

‘He’s fast! And…’

He’s threatening.

He was charging like a beast that had spotted its prey, yet his expression was the epitome of indifference, despite his incredible speed.

His eyes were as clear as those of a wild animal. Moyong Woo felt a chill run down his spine at that gaze.

And in no time, Yeon Ho-jeong had reached a distance of one jang [about 10 feet] in front of Moyong Woo.

‘He’s here!’

Flash!

It was a charging sword draw.

It was a swift sword draw based on the powerful inner energy of the Qiankun Eight Extremes Divine Art. The heavy Tangma Greatsword cut through the air faster than any quick sword.

That’s when it happened.

Clang!

A powerful shockwave erupted from beneath Yeon Ho-jeong’s feet as he approached at a terrifying speed.

‘Evasion?!’

Swoosh!

The sword strike from the sword draw cut through the air.

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had unleashed a shockwave with a heavy stomp, had already evaded Moyong Woo’s sword strike and soared high into the air.

It was a move that defied common sense from the very first exchange. It was customary to lightly exchange blows in this kind of sparring, but he had not only charged with all his might but also avoided a direct confrontation and flown into the sky.

‘Moreover.’

Moyong Woo raised his head.

‘It’s not an axe!’

Yeon Ho-jeong unleashed his left palm.

Thump!

Moyong Woo’s stance lowered even further.

‘A terrifying palm technique!’

The weight of the palm force that was pouring down was no joke. It was clear that it was unleashed in a hurry, but it was so powerful that his bones would have been broken if he hadn’t blocked it.

From the first move, it was a feint, and the attack that followed the feint was not an axe but a palm technique.

Only then did Moyong Woo realize the nature of this fight.

This wasn’t ordinary sparring; it was a real fight that resembled a real battle.

Swish, swish, swish!

Yeon Ho-jeong naturally moved behind Moyong Woo.

Surprisingly, in that brief moment of moving behind him, he had extended three leg techniques. Even in a broken stance, the sharpness of the leg techniques that aimed for vital points was truly divine.

Thud, thud, thud!

Moyong Woo’s hand techniques were also incredibly agile. He had blocked all of the difficult three-stage leg techniques.

Just realizing the nature of the fight changed the speed of his body’s reactions. If Yeon Ho-jeong was not just anyone, then Moyong Woo was not just anyone either.

Bang! Thud!

No sooner had Yeon Ho-jeong landed on the ground than he advanced with an elastic footwork.

Whoosh!

Even though their bodies and weapons hadn’t gotten closer, it felt as if his collarbone and ribs were being torn apart. It was a terrifying aura, the killing intent of a beast.

Moyong Woo swung the Tangma Greatsword.

Clang!

The shaft of the Guanglong Axe and the Tangma Greatsword collided, creating an ear-splitting roar.

‘It’s heavy!’

The impact of a single clash was truly enormous.

He almost lost his grip on the Tangma Sword for a moment. If he had poured in just a little less inner energy, his protective gear would have been torn.

‘It’s not because of the axe’s weight! Yeonje’s power itself is on a different level!’

At that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong unleashed a storm of fierce blows.

Clang, clang, clang!

Moyong Woo retreated continuously, creating a sword barrier.

The delicate and gentle sword barrier shattered the moment it touched the axe blade of the Guanglong Axe. The intangible sword barrier disappeared with sparks flying, and a thick vein popped out on Moyong Woo’s forehead.

‘This is bad!’

Crack!

The axe blade flipped the ground, rising from the lower to the upper.

It wasn’t the time to be leisurely watching, but the movement of that axe was truly in the realm of the incomprehensible. How strong and deep his inner energy must be to wield a heavy weapon weighing over eighty geun like a quick sword was beyond comprehension.

Moyong Woo forcefully swung his sword down.

Clang!

‘Ugh!’

Moyong Woo’s body was lifted into the air.

‘He’s terrifying!’

Even if it was a heavy weapon, it was a situation where it was swung upwards from below. He had countered with a slash using all his might, yet he was not only pushed back in terms of power but his entire body was lifted into the air.

It was a monstrous martial art created by the charging footwork.

Whoosh!

Finally, Moyong Woo could see it.

Flash! Flash!

The moment a pure white wind enveloped Yeon Ho-jeong’s entire body, his eyes flashed a bright yellow, like those of a real tiger.

Bang! Bang! Clang!

It was the three-step advance of the White Tiger Descent.

Each step he took seemed to shake the heavens and the earth. Each step was like a heavy stomp in itself. Even though he was in the air, he felt an impact that seemed to shake his insides.

Roar!

The faint roar of a great tiger echoed.

The White Tiger Art, the Tiger King’s Nine Wall Stance, opened its cruel jaws.

Clang, clang, clang! Thud!

“Ugh!”

Moyong Woo finally let out a groan.

‘This is bad!’

Were all the attacks so far just a warm-up?

He had only blocked one move of the Tiger King’s Nine Wall Stance, yet he felt an impact that seemed to dislocate all the joints in his body.

It was a ferocious martial art that was a disadvantage to even face. If he blocked it even slightly wrong, he would suffer internal injuries immediately.

‘But.’

Moyong Woo retreated a long way.

Whoosh.

The blue true energy on the Tangma Greatsword emitted a magnificent energy wave.

The time to take a breath, with that precious time, he was finally able to unleash the Qiankun Hundred and Eight Sword Techniques, the family’s main sword technique of the Moyong family.

Flash!

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.

He had closed a distance of three jang with one step of the White Tiger Descent, but Moyong Woo had already approached even faster.

The two men’s weapons collided head-on.

Clang, clang, clang! Crack!

The shockwaves from the collision of the axe and sword flipped the ground and created terrible wounds on the surrounding trees.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Moyong Woo gritted his teeth.

With the sword technique of the Qiankun Hundred and Eight Sword Techniques, the Willow Energy Manifestation, he neutralized the power of the Guanglong Axe.

It seemed as if the Guanglong Axe’s slash had weakened, but this terrifying younger brother immediately abandoned the continuous attacks and launched a single, fatal blow.

Clang!

It was an incredibly heavy blow.

It was just a simple axe swing from top to bottom, but strangely, it was impossible to avoid.

If it weren’t for the Qiankun inner energy that he had pushed to the limit, the Tangma Greatsword, a peerless treasure sword forged by a master craftsman with his soul, and Moyong Woo’s thoroughly trained body, he would have been split in two by that brutal power.

And that wasn’t all.

Clang! Thud! Bang!

While using a large and threatening single-fatal-blow martial art, he also changed his forms from moment to moment, showing subtle variations.

It was an attack that was difficult to defend against, but it was so confusing that it was difficult to even figure out where to defend in the first place.

It was an extraordinary attack that would make even a veteran warrior shake his head. It was as if he had completely mastered the techniques, and while using the Tiger King’s Nine Wall Stance, he also extended palm and leg techniques from time to time to confuse the five senses, and at the decisive moment, he used a destructive axe swing to reduce his opponent’s power.

‘Amazing.’

Moyong Woo was constantly pushed back.

He was struggling to even defend, let alone counterattack. Yeon Ho-jeong’s martial art, when he had decided to have a real fight, was that amazing.

‘He said he wanted to see the Qiankun Unbound, but he’s not even giving me the time to unleash it.’

He wasn’t resentful. Rather, he was impressed by Yeon Ho-jeong’s combat skills.

‘A genius of combat… and he’s subtly targeting my weaknesses every moment, so I can’t even catch my breath.’

Clang, clang, clang!

The black shaft and the dragon-shaped axe blade danced in the air.

The accumulated impact was causing the sensation in his limbs to disappear. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer any internal injuries, but even in his current state, he had accumulated enough impact to be bedridden for a day.

Moyong Woo closed his eyes.

Flash! Clang!

The Guanglong Axe was embedded half an inch to the left of Moyong Woo’s left foot.

“…Hmm.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes narrowed.

“You closed your eyes and released your stance… What is it? Are you giving up?”

Moyong Woo, who had opened his eyes again, shook his head.

“Giving up or not, this is a complete defeat.”

“I thought you’d somehow counterattack.”

“Yeonje. You didn’t even give me a chance to defend, let alone counterattack, and you’re saying that?”

“I thought that if I attacked with all my might, you’d pull out some amazing move.”

“…Sorry to disappoint you.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not disappointed. I just thought, ‘Oh, so even you are human,'”

“Huh?”

Crack!

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had pulled the Guanglong Axe out of the ground, stroked his chin.

“You’re definitely strong. The weight of your attacks was obviously less than mine, but your momentary sharpness is no less than mine.”

“It doesn’t sound like a compliment at all.”

“Your speed when you approached at the beginning was also excellent. Honestly, I was surprised at that moment.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m serious. That’s why it’s a shame.”

“…?”

Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.

“You’ve reached the Wall of the Martial Ancestor, but you haven’t yet mastered your martial arts. That’s why, even with that much ability, you’re being pushed back one-sidedly.”

Moyong Woo’s eyes wavered.

Yeon Ho-jeong turned his body.

“I was going to drink more, but it seems like you need some time alone. Let’s meet again when you have time.”

“Ye, Yeonje!”

“Just remember this. When a butterfly sheds its skin and spreads its wings, when a beast is sure it has caught its prey and cut off its breath. That’s when it’s the most dangerous moment.”

“…!”

“If you don’t properly master what you have, you could rot at the beginning of the Wall of the Martial Ancestor for years.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, who was walking away, suddenly stopped as if he had remembered something.

“Brother.”

“…Speak.”

“Moyong Gun will be back soon.”

“…!”

“Make sure to check what he brings back.”