Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 539

“Hmm.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes deepened.

“The Sound Demon and the Flying King….”

The head of the intelligence department lowered his head.

“It is unknown whether the Shin Hwa-gyo [Divine Transformation Sect] is acting alone, or if the entire Samgyo [Three Sects] is moving together. However, my guess is that the Shin Hwa-gyo is the main force, sharing information and providing assistance when needed.”

“That’s highly likely.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes narrowed further.

“Whatever the case, they are targeting the Seongcheon Thirteen Seats [Thirteen Masters of Seongcheon]. It’s highly likely that some of them have been won over. No, we must assume that’s the case and act accordingly.”

“Should we share this information with the Murim Alliance [Martial Arts Alliance]?”

“Yes, we should. They’ll find out soon enough anyway, so it’s better to share the information first and strengthen our relationship of trust.”

“Understood.”

“Hmm.”

The Sound Demon and the Flying King.

He had never met them, but both were outstanding powerhouses who had made their names in Seongcheon.

In Mak Won’s case, they had thoroughly investigated him, but they had no information about the other two. Even if they started investigating now, it was impossible to know how long it would take.

Yang Cheon, stroking his beard, rose from his chair.

“Where is the Iron Cavalry training?”

“They are doing individual training until tomorrow. They should be in their usual training grounds.”

Yang Cheon nodded.

“Summon Vice Commander Yeon to that place.”

* * *

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Hundreds of warriors in light armor swung their spears and swords.

The blades were not aimed at empty air. It was a chaotic training exercise where they targeted each other. Even though it was just training, they were all swinging their weapons with the intent to kill.

Thud! Slash!

Blood splattered and flesh flew in all directions.

There was no mercy for comrades. They didn’t actually kill each other, but they exchanged attacks that could cause fatal injuries if they weren’t careful.

A very dangerous training. There were many casualties. Nevertheless, the reason why the Iron Cavalry was the strongest was because of this training.

“It’s quite a sight.”

A smile spread across Yang Cheon’s face as he watched the Iron Cavalry’s training with his hands behind his back.

“You’ve arrived?”

“Yes.”

Yeon Ho-jeong stood next to Yang Cheon.

Thud thud thud.

Half of them were engaged in melee combat, and the other half were engaged in mounted combat.

The melee combat was brutal, but the mounted combat was even more so. They were unleashing merciless attacks, stopping just short of harming the horses, and it seemed like someone’s life could be taken at any moment.

Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.

“Putting aside everything else, that horse-and-rider unity is truly amazing.”

“Isn’t it?”

“A horse is a weapon in itself. In actual battles, dozens of infantrymen are trampled to death by a cavalry charge. Even in cavalry-to-cavalry combat, horses die when they collide head-on.”

“You know a lot about war.”

“Mounted combat like a real battle, yet they control their attacks so that the opponent’s horse is not harmed… I should teach this to the main alliance’s cavalry unit.”

Yang Cheon grumbled.

“You’re good at trying to steal the best parts. And right in front of me, no less.”

“Later, send someone trustworthy to the main alliance. They’ll take it without you even knowing.”

“I refuse. I don’t trust the duplicity of you righteous sects. They’ll just make people uncomfortable with their subtle glances.”

“Do you think it’s any different here?”

“……Were there people like that?”

“They just don’t show it openly, but there are plenty of people who glare. I just ignore them. They probably curse me behind my back.”

“I have nothing to say to that.”

“Isn’t that how it always is?”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Yang Cheon and asked,

“So, what’s the reason you called me to this wonderful place?”

Yang Cheon grinned.

“Do you remember what you said before?”

“I must have said thousands of things. How am I supposed to remember them all?”

“You said before that you would be a worthy sparring partner.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.

“Did I say that?”

“You remember, don’t you?”

“I don’t know if I said it directly, or if it was just the general vibe of the conversation.”

“The important thing is that we all took it that way.”

Crack.

Yang Cheon stretched his clasped hands upwards.

“Shall we have a match for old time’s sake?”

“Are you trying to kill me?”

“Don’t be dramatic. You’re not the type to die just because someone tells you to.”

“You should stop making such bloodthirsty remarks, Vice Commander. If you had used your full power in our last spar, I wouldn’t have lasted three seconds.”

“If I showed any sign of using my full power, you would have run away immediately.”

“You’re not wrong.”

He didn’t take offense at the idea of running away. He acknowledged it as if it were the most natural thing to do.

Yang Cheon inwardly clicked his tongue. He knew he was this kind of person, but he was always surprised whenever they had conversations like this.

Yeon Ho-jeong knew when to yield and when to stand his ground. Many people knew this in their heads, but very few felt it in their hearts and put it into practice.

“Anyway, let’s have a match. Let’s just exchange a few blows lightly.”

“Very well.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Yeon Ho-jeong took out his Black and White Twin Dragon Blades and placed them to one side, then rotated his shoulders.

Yang Cheon chuckled.

“Aren’t you going to take off the iron chains you’ve wrapped around your clothes?”

“It’s insurance. It’s armor that will prevent me from going to the afterlife if I get hit wrong.”

“That makes sense.”

Swoosh.

Yeon Ho-jeong lowered his stance.

Yang Cheon remained with his hands behind his back.

“I’ll only use footwork. Let’s just have a match of stances.”

“Very well.”

Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, Yeon Ho-jeong moved.

But he wasn’t fast. He had just moved first because the spar had begun.

Yeon Ho-jeong threw a powerful punch.

Yang Cheon shifted his weight to the left and unleashed a swift foot technique.

Pow! Pow! Pow!

Yang Cheon’s martial arts, which completely deflected Yeon Ho-jeong’s rapid flurry of punches with one foot, were truly admirable.

However, neither Yang Cheon nor Yeon Ho-jeong were surprised. Both of them knew that this was not a proper spar.

Yang Cheon shifted his weight again and asked,

“Where should we start?”

Whoosh!

Even though it was a light spar, a single mistake could break bones. Yeon Ho-jeong, who had narrowly avoided the attack, also unleashed a foot technique like a cannonball.

Clang!

The power of the foot technique, which shook the air, was tremendous. It had the power to easily crush a rock.

“To be honest, I was leaning towards the Blade King, but…”

“So, you’ve changed your mind.”

“That’s right.”

Tap tap tap tap!

The two men’s hands and feet intertwined fiercely.

Yang Cheon responded by spinning his feet like a windmill, while Yeon Ho-jeong countered using both his fists and legs.

Whoosh!

Yang Cheon’s right foot stretched high above his head, then drew a half-moon as if chopping down with an axe.

Clang!

His heel shook the ground.

A clear footprint was imprinted on the hard ground. It was at least five inches deep.

“The information you brought, the Sound Demon and the Flying King.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s not certain, but some of the powerhouses of Seongcheon have already gone over to their side. Even if that’s not the case, we must assume that it is and act accordingly.”

“That’s correct.”

Whoooosh!

A strange wind gathered in Yeon Ho-jeong’s fist.

Pow! Bang!

He charged towards Yang Cheon like the wind and unleashed a collapsing fist along with a powerful advancing step.

Clang!

A shockwave spread in all directions with the explosion. Yang Cheon, anticipating the collapsing fist, raised his left leg diagonally to split the fist’s power.

Yang Cheon grumbled.

“Weren’t we supposed to be doing a stance match?”

“You said you’d take everything I threw at you.”

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that? I want to beat you to death, but I also admire you.”

Pow pow pow pow!

The two exchanged blows at an even faster pace than before.

Nevertheless, both of them had relaxed expressions. Not even a single breath was out of place.

Swoosh!

Yang Cheon, who had created some distance, charged forward like an arrow shot from a bow.

Thud!

Yeon Ho-jeong was pushed back.

It was tremendous power. Even though he hadn’t put much force into it, he was pushed back more than three yards.

Yang Cheon clicked his tongue.

“You blocked it, as expected.”

“That hurt.”

“Life is pain, my friend.”

Pow!

Yang Cheon approached again and swung his foot technique, saying,

“Let’s start with the Sound Demon.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes lit up.

“Is there a reason?”

“I’ve never met him, but I know as much as others do. That’s why I’m putting off the Flying King for later.”

“The Flying King… To be honest, I’ve hardly heard any information about him.”

“Let’s put everything else aside and just focus on one thing.”

Yang Cheon’s eyes flashed.

Pow pow pow pow!

In an instant, his body moved at an incredible speed, surrounding Yeon Ho-jeong.

It was a prison of shadows. He moved so fast that dozens of afterimages remained, and each afterimage had a real presence.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.

‘Transposition!’

One of the highest levels of footwork. Aside from the legendary Shrinking Earth Technique, it was the most extreme level of enlightenment that could be achieved through human martial arts.

Swoosh.

Yang Cheon’s fist touched Yeon Ho-jeong’s back.

There was no impact. It was just a light touch.

Yeon Ho-jeong grumbled.

“You said you’d only use footwork?”

“Does that matter in this situation?”

“I’ve been had.”

Yang Cheon withdrew his hand and said,

“The Flying King is the master of the greatest movement technique in the world.”

“It’s no wonder, considering his title.”

“People say that the power of the current martial arts masters, the Seongcheon Thirteen Seats, can be compared to the absolute masters of the martial arts’ golden age three hundred years ago.”

“……”

“In other words, the Flying King, the master of the greatest movement technique, can be called the greatest master of movement techniques of all time.”

Yang Cheon shook his head.

“I’ve never seen him myself, but I’ve heard about him from a friend.”

“The friend who said that the Blood Jade Demon Lord would become stronger than the Divine Immortal Emperor in ten years?”

“That’s right.”

“What else did that nameless friend say?”

“He said it was on a different level. He said that at least in terms of movement techniques, none of the other Seongcheon Thirteen Seats could compare.”

Yeon Ho-jeong frowned.

“Is that possible?”

The difference in movement speed between an absolute master who had broken through the Limitless Realm and a supreme master was not that great.

This was because even supreme masters had reached the limit of speed that a human could achieve. There might be individual differences, but on average, the difference was not that significant.

Nevertheless, the reason why supreme masters could not keep up with masters of the Limitless Realm was because of abilities other than speed.

In other words, purely in terms of speed, even masters of the Limitless Realm had a limit to how fast they could move.

The Flying King’s movement technique was said to be vastly different from even the Seongcheon Thirteen Seats.

“In terms of martial arts, the Flying King is said to be one step below anyone of the Divine Immortal Emperor’s level. If I had to put it in terms of rank, I’d say he’s at the level of the Three Armies [a high military rank]. But he said that his movement technique alone could make up for that one-step difference. That’s why he earned the title of King.”

“……So, you’re saying that it will take time for the Samgyo to capture the Flying King?”

“That’s right.”

“That makes sense.”

Yeon Ho-jeong stroked his chest.

“But was that the reason you wanted to spar? You could have just called me for a meeting. That wasn’t a proper spar, was it?”

Yang Cheon looked at Yeon Ho-jeong without answering.

His eyes were on Yeon Ho-jeong, but his mind was following the drinking session with Mak Won.

He recalled what he had said during that drinking session.

‘I’m a man with great ambition. But to achieve that ambition, I must first win this war. And to win the war, I need subordinates who absolutely trust me. A large organization with only a big body has many flaws.’

That was what he had said to Mak Won, who had said that there would be complaints from below if Yeon Ho-jeong was allowed to run wild.

‘Win the war first….’

That’s right. That was the important thing.

He knew it himself. If they lost the war, his burning ambition would also disappear into ashes.

And now, Yang Cheon was looking at the young man who would become the greatest weapon in this war.

“……Damn it.”

“……?”

“If you can get stronger so quickly, why haven’t you reached the Limitless Realm yet?”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s face was stained with bewilderment.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Is the Limitless Realm a joke?”

“Shut up, you brat!”

Yang Cheon spat and turned his body.

“Follow me. I’ll teach you a way to withstand even the supreme sound technique for a very short time.”