Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 28

The training grounds were buzzing with the noise of late-stage disciples and guards who had come to hear the rumors.

Of course, the Chang’eungdae [a special guard unit] were there too, their expressions utterly miserable.

“Young Master!”

“Oh, Chief Shin.”

“W-What on earth is going on?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shrugged.

“It’s complicated to explain. Anyway, that’s how it is.”

Shin Mo’s face hardened.

“This won’t do. You must cancel this duel, even now.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Young Master! That man is…!”

“I know that beast’s skills well. His personality is trash, but his solid foundation is impressive. It seems he’s fought fiercely in his own way.”

He had sensed his opponent’s strength just by his senses.

Normally, they would have been impressed by his outstanding senses, but now was not the time for that.

“I will go and cancel this duel myself.”

“Chief Shin.”

“Young Master!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“If you cause a ruckus trying to cancel this duel, it will only tarnish the reputation of the main family.”

“…!!”

“That’s why I said the situation is complicated, right? Since it’s already happened, just trust and wait. It’s not a subordinate’s virtue to just worry.”

Shin Mo bit his lip.

How could he not understand Yeon Ho-Jeong’s intentions? But the opponent was just too dangerous.

That Chu Seong was a master that even he wouldn’t be confident in facing easily. Of course, if he released his ‘seal,’ he could overwhelm him in three moves, but even with the power the world knew of the Chang’eungdae Chief, he was a master capable of a close match.

He knew Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts from seeing them directly, but Chu Seong was difficult. And Chu Seong wouldn’t hold back just because he was the young master of the Yeon family.

“By the way, what about what I asked for?”

“Yes? Ah, yes! I have it in my possession.”

“You didn’t bring it. Oh well, it’s fine.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong picked up the spear he had placed to one side. It was a long spear, a little over six feet, obtained from a nearby blacksmith.

“Are you… going to use a spear? Not fight with your staff techniques?”

“A spear is better.”

At that moment, the Jeagal siblings and Yeon Ji-Pyeong were seen running from afar.

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue.

“I should go up before they start making a fuss.”

Thwack!

He stepped onto the training grounds.

He had covered a distance of over a Zhang [approximately 10 feet] in a single step. And it wasn’t a powerful leap, but a light footwork as if he was flying.

Chu Seong, already on the training grounds, was watching Yeon Ho-Jeong with his arms crossed.

“Are you ready?”

“Are you?”

Chu Seong smiled. It was a look that said, ‘Do I even need to prepare to face you?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“There’s no need to drag this out. Shall we start right away?”

“Very well. But spear techniques?”

“Yes.”

Chu Seong frowned.

“I heard the main style of the Byeoksan Yeon family is swordsmanship?”

“Do I need all that just to teach you a lesson?”

There couldn’t be a more provocative statement.

Tzzzzzz.

A murderous aura rose from Chu Seong’s body.

The buzzing atmosphere instantly quieted down. They were surprised by the unusual aura that Chu Seong was emitting.

It wasn’t just his strength, but the savagery of his nature was immense. It was as if he was a carnivorous beast with its prey in sight.

On the other hand, Yeon Ho-Jeong?

Whoosh. Whooosh.

He was just twirling the long spear in his hand with his fingers, and the fallen leaves were swirling along the spear’s edge.

‘Hmm, not bad.’

The sense of balance was subtly different from an iron staff.

He had noticed that ‘subtlety,’ and that was enough. Just by his hand sensing it, half of the spear techniques were already ingrained in his body.

Whoosh! Thwack!

The spear, which had been spinning faster and faster, stopped with a springy motion.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, with the spear resting on his shoulder, slightly lowered his stance.

Whooooooo.

A faint blue light flickered repeatedly in his pupils.

Chu Seong’s eyes gleamed.

‘Not bad.’

The stability of his true energy was considerable. He was worthy of being called a first-rate talent.

But that was all. At his age, that level of strength was to be expected from a late-stage disciple of the Seven Great Families.

‘In the end, that’s all he is.’

A faint disappointment appeared on Chu Seong’s face.

He had hoped there might be something more, but that was it. At least his stance was decent.

“Shall we begin?”

“Very well. I’ll concede three moves.”

“Three moves?”

Chu Seong chuckled.

“You’re facing the leader of the newly formed Battle Sword Unit of the Great Namgoong Family. Since you said you’d hold me accountable, you should at least take three moves, shouldn’t you?”

His words were full of arrogance.

But he was someone who had the right to say such things. Everyone who heard his words acknowledged it.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been staring at Chu Seong, relaxed his stance.

Chu Seong tilted his head.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Three moves?”

“That’s right.”

The blue light that had been flickering in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gradually became indifferent. He had let go of the Byukra Jin Gyeol [a specific martial arts technique].

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to duel?”

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“What do you mean?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong gave a faint smile.

Chu Seong frowned. It was a smile that felt unsettling.

Swoosh.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, holding the middle of the spear, slowly raised it. The spearhead was pointed at Chu Seong.

‘……?!’

In that instant, Chu Seong felt a stinging sensation in his chest.

‘Killing intent?’

No.

It wasn’t killing intent, but the sharpness emanating from the spearhead. A sharp aura, like needles, was being emitted from the ordinary iron spear he had obtained from the blacksmith.

And the moment Chu Seong felt the spear’s aura.

At that very moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes returned to complete emptiness.

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“……!”

“Good. If you draw your sword before three moves pass, I will kill you then.”

And then, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s attack began.

Step, step.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s steps as he crossed the training grounds towards Chu Seong were utterly ordinary. Neither fast nor slow, just extremely ordinary walking.

But Chu Seong’s expression grew increasingly stiff.

‘What is it?’

Slowly, very slowly.

Watching Yeon Ho-Jeong approach without any particular aura, Chu Seong felt an unknown sense of dread.

‘Is there some kind of trick…?’

When the distance between the two narrowed to one Zhang.

Yeon Ho-Jeong raised his spear.

He raised it above his head as if he were wielding a large sword. It was a motion like he was wielding a greatsword or an axe, not a spear.

What on earth is this?

Everyone watching the training grounds tilted their heads. Why was he handling the spear like that? Was there even such a spear technique in the world?

At that moment, when everyone’s attention was focused.

Thud!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s foot slammed into the training ground floor.

It felt like the entire training ground was shaking. At the same time, the six-foot long spear fell straight down on Chu Seong’s head.

Chu Seong’s eyes wavered.

‘W-What, what is this?!’

The spear was coming down with terrifying speed.

He could easily dodge it. He could disrupt the pattern with a single gesture.

But Chu Seong couldn’t easily choose any of those options.

‘H-Huh!!’

In that instant, he saw an illusion that covered all directions.

An illusion of a giant axe falling towards him, standing alone on a cliff in a dark world where nothing existed.

The size, the heaviness that pushed through the air, and the ferocity that shook the earth were so immense that a sense of despair instantly overwhelmed his entire body.

‘I-I have to dodge…!’

Then, Chu Seong met a pair of eyes looking down at him from behind the giant axe.

And that the eyes were slightly curved like a crescent moon.

‘Eeeek!’

Chu Seong crossed his arms above his head.

And the spear shaft fell on his arms.

Thwack!

“Kuh!”

Chu Seong’s knees slightly buckled.

‘Heavy!!’

It was an incredibly heavy blow.

This wasn’t spear technique. But it wasn’t just staff techniques either.

It was a terrifying blow that combined the ferocity of an axe, the sharpness of a sword, the flexibility of staff techniques, and the sharpness of spear techniques.

‘This is bad!’

Whooooo!

He quickly drew up his inner energy and poured it into his arms.

He felt an immense pain in his forearms. The pain was so intense that he momentarily thought they had broken.

But Yeon Ho-Jeong’s attack was just beginning.

Bang!

Jingak (震脚) [a technique that gains power by forcefully stomping the ground] is a technique that gains power by forcefully stomping the ground and using the rebound force that comes up from the lower body.

With one step forward, it was another Jingak. But this Jingak made a much louder and more resounding sound than the previous one.

And the second strike was unleashed.

Flash!

After the downward strike, it was a thrust, grabbing the middle of the spear shaft and shooting it out.

‘Fast!’

It was a speed that made him forget the pain in his arms in an instant. The spearhead, swung as if to pierce his heart, was filled with the killing intent of a predator.

Twitch!

His fingers twitched for a moment.

It was an instinctive reaction to draw his sword and strike out. But this was the second move. No, it wasn’t even a move, just the second attack.

‘Eek!’

Chu Seong quickly stepped back. He realized it was impossible to receive it with his bare hands.

Whoosh!

The spear strike that pierced the air seemed to penetrate the air and reach the outer wall of a building far away.

‘……!’

A chilling sensation ran through his side.

There was no time to look. But he instinctively knew. That he had failed to dodge that spearhead.

‘I’ve been cut.’

And it was a rather deep cut. If he had been a little slower, the spearhead would have reached his internal organs.

‘This is bad…!’

The relaxed mind was instantly filled with tension. His back straightened, and his shoulders tensed.

He thought he had dodged it for sure, but he hadn’t. That’s how fast the spear strike was.

Then, the third attack came.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s wrist, holding the spear shaft, made a flexible movement in an instant.

Swish, swish, swish!

More than a dozen spearheads flew towards Chu Seong.

A spear technique unfolded with one hand. This was also fast. So fast that the afterimages of the spear could be seen.

‘This…!’

What was even more surprising was the timing and the preemptive strike.

The spearheads, which came in with a unique rhythm, confused Chu Seong’s perception. Moreover, the position they struck from was exquisite. The spear strike, launched by preempting an unavoidable position, was like a beast rushing in with its jaws wide open.

Chu Seong felt his vision darken.

If he couldn’t dodge, he had to block, but each spear strike was filled with a sharp aura. He couldn’t tell which one was real.

‘Death?!’

A strange sensation dominated his entire body.

And the moment he felt that sensation, Chu Seong’s hand moved on its own.

Clang!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s spear was deflected to the right.

“Kuh!”

At the same time, Chu Seong’s body staggered backward diagonally. In his hand was a blue sword with a jewel embedded in it.

It was swordsmanship.

He hadn’t received it with his sword, nor had he deflected or defended. He had countered with his own technique, returning each other’s attacks to nothing.

Chu Seong’s eyes wavered.

‘I almost died.’

He really almost died. This attack was truly threatening. If he hadn’t drawn his sword and deployed a technique, he would have had three or four holes in his body.

How long had it been since he had felt such fear? How long had it been since he had experienced such tension?

“You couldn’t hold out.”

Startled, Chu Seong looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had already placed the spear shaft on his shoulder, was glaring at Chu Seong with cold eyes.

“Didn’t I say? If you couldn’t withstand three moves, I would kill you.”

“……!!”

“I’ll show you that even words from a three-inch tongue have the weight of a thousand pounds.”

Whoosh!

Yeon Ho-Jeong leaped like a beast.