Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 369

Tang Gwan led Yeon Ho-Jeong to a training ground not far from his residence.

It was an outdoor training area, but it was poorly maintained, with cracks and broken sections everywhere. The Martial Alliance had grown rapidly, but there were still many underutilized spaces within the organization.

Yeon Ho-Jeong whistled.

“It’s quite spacious.”

“It is.”

“If properly repaired, it’s large enough to train an entire legion. To think there was a place like this, the main alliance still has a long way to go.”

“Thanks to that, it’s perfect for solo training.”

Training.

It was a word that somehow didn’t suit Tang Gwan. He always seemed like someone who would remain arrogant and aloof.

“Come up.”

“Yes.”

Stepping onto the training ground, Yeon Ho-Jeong noticed that the floor was damaged in several places.

‘Melted.’

It was broken and melted at the same time.

It was a trace of someone training in poison techniques. It was an extremely subtle trace, but it was something that someone with Yeon Ho-Jeong’s insight could clearly see.

‘Fists, palms, fingers, and feet aren’t the main focus. There are traces of that, but the main thing is hidden weapons.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

‘Traces of poison being infused into hidden weapons and launched. Impressive.’

It wasn’t just about applying poison; it was about infusing the poison into the hidden weapons themselves and maintaining it until the moment of impact, which was no easy feat.

Regardless of the method of application, the internal energy control itself would be incredibly complex. And it wasn’t just about one or two hidden weapons; to scatter dozens of them, one would have to be able to simultaneously control an incredibly complex set of techniques.

This was why the Tang family’s martial arts were so terrifying. Not just anyone could easily approach it, and even a genius of the ages would find it difficult to master. One had to accumulate a comprehensive knowledge of poison and hidden weapons, and to integrate that into martial arts required unimaginable effort and intellect.

‘Still lacking.’

During his time as the Dark Emperor, Tang Gwan was known as the Poison Emperor, a figure of terror in the martial world.

However, that was the result of Tang Gwan thoroughly concealing himself. He displayed an unparalleled ability with poison, enough to be called the king of poison, but in reality, his true secret weapon was not poison but hidden weapons.

‘Compared to his Poison Emperor days, he’s still lacking in many ways. The traces show it. But…’

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Tang Gwan again.

Tang Gwan stood with his back turned, his hands behind his back. He seemed to be lost in thought.

‘He’s steadily progressing. He knows exactly how the invincible secret technique he will obtain in the future will manifest.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong was inwardly impressed.

‘A genius.’

Tang Gwan wasn’t a talkative person back then.

It was inevitable. Whatever the reason, Yeon Ho-Jeong was the king of the dark side, and Tang Gwan was the second-in-command of the righteous martial world.

However, he knew that the ‘legendary’ secret technique he was mastering had been passed down from his father, Tang Hyeong.

‘An incomplete secret technique. Then that means the current Hidden Weapon King is also working on perfecting this martial art.’

He had passed on an incomplete martial art to his son. That meant he had that much confidence in this martial art.

And comparing the ‘that martial art’ that Tang Gwan showed during his Poison Emperor days with the traces now, it was highly likely that he had awakened it on his own without the Hidden Weapon King’s help, creating the strongest secret technique in the history of the Tang family.

Tang Gwan spoke.

“At your level, even if you haven’t had a new weapon for long, you should be able to use it in actual combat.”

“Of course. Though I won’t be able to draw out the full potential of this weapon.”

“I suppose not.”

Tang Gwan turned around.

In that instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong flinched. Tang Gwan’s eyes were more serious than ever before.

“Do you know why I’m showing you this martial art, someone who is neither my father nor my daughter?”

“I don’t.”

He was being sincere. This was something Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t read Tang Gwan’s intentions on.

Tang Gwan spoke with a slightly troubled expression.

“I saw the secret technique your father showed to the First Martial General. It was truly amazing. Such a martial art cannot be learned from someone else. It can only be obtained through one’s own efforts and relentless pursuit, a martial art solely for oneself.”

“I think so too.”

“That’s why your father wouldn’t have sought advice from anyone. There was no need or meaning to it. He would have simply devoted himself endlessly to the martial path and grasped that absolute sword.”

“That’s right.”

“However, my martial art is different from your father’s one technique.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes blazed.

“My martial art has countless forms, and it’s a combination of continuous and linked attacks rather than a single strike, requiring extremely complex internal energy control and pushing one’s true energy to its limits.”

“…”

“Your father, the Yeon family head’s enlightenment is supreme. At least when it comes to the sword. The problem is that his enlightenment is focused on the sword. Perhaps if he reaches the pinnacle of swordsmanship and masters all martial arts, it might be different, but at least for now, he wouldn’t be able to see the shortcomings of my martial art as well as you can.”

It was an astonishing statement.

Tang Gwan was confident that Yeon Ho-Jeong could see his martial art better than Yeon Wi. And he was telling him this directly.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was greatly surprised.

He didn’t expect Tang Gwan to rate him so highly, nor did he expect him to openly reveal the weaknesses of his own martial art.

“Your father’s martial art is a single, pure strike without variation, while my martial art is a chaotic barrage with many variations. Your father’s martial art is simple but strong, while my martial art is diverse and sharp.”

Swoosh.

Tang Gwan raised both hands.

Tsutsutsutsu.

The dark green mist flowing from his fingertips gradually enveloped his entire body. It was as if two giant green serpents were protecting him.

“I won’t show you everything. I won’t show you twice. But if you see and feel anything, I want you to tell me.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s expression became strange.

“Is that the favor you’re asking of me for obtaining the Black and White Twin Axes?”

“That’s right.”

“It seems I’m giving ten in return for getting two.”

Tang Gwan chuckled.

“No one knows if your advice will be one or ten.”

“Of course. That’s why…”

Swoosh.

Even without a scabbard to sheathe the blades, a chilling sound echoed as he lifted the twin axes.

“I’ll take it head-on.”

“…?!”

Tang Gwan’s eyes widened.

“You mean to take this martial art directly with your body?”

“To properly understand a martial art whose techniques and methods I don’t know, there’s no better way than to face it directly.”

“You arrogant fool! This martial art is not ordinary! Even I can’t control its power or direction yet! It’s that dangerous!”

“Then all the more reason to confront it head-on. To give you a satisfactory return.”

“…!”

“Don’t worry. If I die from this, it’s because of my lack of ability, so I won’t blame the family head.”

It was a meaningful statement.

In the past, Yeon Ho-Jeong had lost his life to the feather needles that Tang Gwan had launched. Since it was him saying it, the weight of his words was different.

And Tang Gwan felt that weight in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words.

“Do you want to die that badly?”

Swoosh.

Yeon Ho-Jeong lowered his stance.

As if he had been practicing such a martial art all along, the hand holding the White Dragon Axe naturally extended forward, and the hand holding the Black Dragon Axe was fixed in front of his upper right body.

“Shall we begin?”

Tsutsutsutsu.

The dark green mist that had been enveloping Tang Gwan’s body slowly seeped into his sleeves.

Tang Gwan, who had been staring intently at Yeon Ho-Jeong, nodded.

“Controlling the poison will not be easy. However, I won’t use any extreme poison, so if you experience any symptoms of poisoning, immediately sit in a meditative posture and expel the poison.”

“Understood.”

“…You fool.”

Chiriririring.

In an instant, fragments of glittering metal flowed out of his sleeves in a line.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

‘Telekinesis.’

It was no surprise. Tang Gwan’s secret technique was an absolute technique that could only be used with at least telekinesis.

Whoosh!

Vermilion Fire Qi rose from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

Whoooosh.

On the other hand, white smoke was rising from his two feet planted on the ground. The White Tiger Golden Qi, the White Tiger Descending Step, was naturally manifesting.

Feeling those two energies, Tang Gwan inwardly nodded. The harmony of fire and metal energy, as well as their intensity, was impressive, and he thought that with Yeon Ho-Jeong’s skills, he would at least not die.

“I’m starting.”

Whoooosh!

Following Tang Gwan’s hand drawing a circle as if flowing water, the path of the glittering hidden weapons moved beautifully.

‘Flower Rain Technique, First Chapter.’

Chiriring! Chiriririring!

The fragments of throwing knives, smaller than a thumb, collided, making an eerie sound.

Even though he had seen the technique before, Yeon Ho-Jeong felt his body tense up involuntarily. He had seen that technique wipe out enemies in an instant, but he had never faced it directly.

Flash!

A dark green light burst from Tang Gwan’s pupils.

“…Gale Style.”

It was that moment.

Whoooooooooosh!!

In an instant, a tremendous gale, as if tearing through the air, blew in, and two streams of massive light fragments were fired at Yeon Ho-Jeong’s front.

‘…!!’

Surprise flickered across Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

‘It’s different!’

It was different from the technique that Tang Gwan had shown during his Poison Emperor days.

No, it was a type of that technique, but the content was different. In terms of stances, it was a direct frontal attack that was completely opposite to the stance at that time.

It was as if two giant serpents made of thousands of metal scales were each vying to fly forward.

‘Damn it! This martial art, could it be that each stance has a different attack range and direction?!’

He had been vaguely expecting it, but he had been completely blindsided.

Yeon Ho-Jeong quickly took a step forward.

Clang!

With a more urgent and powerful stomp than ever before, the Black and White Twin Axes, blazing with Vermilion Fire Qi, were swung at tremendous speed.

Vermilion Bird Art, Crimson Flame Six Kill Technique.

Flower Rain Technique, First Chapter Gale Style.

The two extreme killing techniques collided head-on.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The countless crescent moons drawn by the Black and White Twin Axes created a gale, deflecting the fragments of throwing knives that had been fired.

It was truly an incredible speed. Even though it was his first time properly wielding them, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s twin axe technique was already at the level of a master.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Pshhh!

But even with that amazing twin axe technique, he couldn’t block all the fragments. The barrage of hidden weapons that came crashing down with a gale was so numerous that even the great Yeon Ho-Jeong couldn’t completely defend against it.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Pshhh!

He deflected almost all the hidden weapons in front of him, but a hidden weapon that had ridden up the axe with a strange current grazed Yeon Ho-Jeong’s forearm and flew backward.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Ssssh!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s arms were instantly stained with blood. It wasn’t just one or two; dozens of hidden weapons had grazed his forearms.

‘This is bad.’

Chiiiiii!

White smoke rose from the wounds. The Vermilion Fire Qi was evaporating the poison that had penetrated his body.

But the real problem wasn’t the poison.

‘What kind of power is this?!’

The impact transmitted from the twin axes was truly tremendous.

Each hidden weapon contained a considerable amount of power. To deflect hundreds of those hidden weapons, the impact was accumulating on his wrists, elbows, and even his shoulders.

It was a terrifying linked attack. The fragments of throwing knives that relentlessly poured down were like scattered flower petals, but their power was like a shower of iron falling down.

Yeon Ho-Jeong gritted his teeth and endured. If he were to carelessly drop the axes, his upper body would be shredded into thousands of pieces by the terrifying storm of hidden weapons, turning into a blood-red haze.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Bang!

After deflecting the Gale Style with hundreds of axe strikes, Yeon Ho-Jeong used his final stomp to redirect the direction of the incoming hidden weapons toward the sky.

“Hoo!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong took a deep breath.

‘Damn it, this is really not easy.’

At that moment, Tang Gwan spoke.

“You managed to take all of that?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Tang Gwan without answering.

Tang Gwan, who was looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong with a surprised expression, couldn’t help but chuckle. It was because he saw the anticipation, surprise, and passion on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

“Do you want to take more?”

“Yes.”

“…Very well.”

Chiririririring!

From where they had sprung, fragments of throwing knives formed a massive dark cloud above Tang Gwan’s head.

The scales of death that adorned the sky. Each one was like a flower petal made of light.

“Then, shall I give you just a taste?”