Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 564

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Hwang Seok-tae frowned.

The circular defensive barrier of his crimson spear deflected dozens of hidden weapons.

Not a single hidden weapon touched Hwang Seok-tae’s bare skin. Occasionally, some slipped through, but they were caught in the spear wind, losing their momentum, and then collided with the internal energy barrier around Hwang Seok-tae’s collar, bouncing off harmlessly.

There were no actual injuries. The problem was the accumulation of impact.

‘Impressive.’

Hidden weapons were light.

Even the heaviest hidden weapons were only daggers or short swords. Even if internal energy was used to throw them, they wouldn’t have proper penetrating power or weight.

However, the actual impact felt when blocking them with a spear or body was considerable.

‘It’s not because of the explosive power of the hidden weapons or their inherent characteristics.’

Whirr! Thwack! Thwack!

Closing the distance, he swung his spear left and right. Two experts hit by the spear shaft coughed up blood and flew away. Their ribs must have been completely shattered.

At that moment, poison darts were fired from all directions.

Whoosh!

Hwang Seok-tae had already vanished from that spot.

Hwang Seok-tae was not skilled in unorthodox movements or swift techniques.

However, when it came to advancing and retreating, he boasted a mobility faster than any other expert. It was a characteristic of his spear technique and the Iron Cavalry unit.

‘Internal energy? No, it’s not just a matter of the quality of internal energy.’

Thwack!

The crimson spear, having pierced a hole in the neck of an expert who had recklessly charged, returned to Hwang Seok-tae’s hand with a strange movement.

In an instant, Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes blazed.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Seven spear strikes, unleashed like lightning, repelled all the experts’ charges. One of them had a large hole pierced through his thigh.

It was an astonishing display of power and skillful spear techniques. The spear technique, where power and skill were perfectly intertwined, shifted between being an impenetrable fortress and an unstoppable siege engine.

This was the Giant Dragon Spear Style. It was a peerless spear technique, a complete rebirth of the Blood Dragon Spear Method, one of the most renowned spear techniques in the Black Path [a term referring to the martial arts world’s darker, more ruthless factions], with his own enlightenment added, and further refined by Yang Cheon.

In terms of spear technique alone, it could be argued to be the best in the Black Path. When combined with the charging power of a cavalry unit, it would be difficult for any expert to block head-on.

Whoosh! Bang!

Hwang Seok-tae staggered back, pushed by a sharp burst of energy.

He had blocked it with the shaft of his crimson spear, the Crimson Dragon Divine Spear, but it was an unexpected sudden attack. If he had been hit, he would have suffered a severe internal injury.

Hwang Seok-tae glared ahead.

An expert was panting, glaring back at him. It was the one whose thigh had been pierced by the Giant Dragon Spear Style, Dragon Tail Seven Flashes.

Hwang Seok-tae extended his finger towards him.

Thud!

A sharp finger wind strike pierced a hole in the man’s forehead.

Thwack! Thwack! Clang! Clang!

Experts, not missing the opportunity, unleashed another barrage of hidden weapons, but Hwang Seok-tae’s Giant Dragon Seven Forms were executed flawlessly, like flowing water.

They couldn’t penetrate. Before the spear technique that created a red shield with a resilient rotation, dozens of hidden weapons fell to the ground again.

At that moment, a throwing knife flew through the air towards Hwang Seok-tae’s shoulder.

It was neither fast nor slow. Considering the barrage of hidden weapons that had been pouring in from the front, it was at a level that could be easily blocked with a sneer.

‘…!’

However, Hwang Seok-tae chose to evade.

Whoosh!

With just one step, he retreated three lengths.

Surprisingly, the slowly thrown throwing knife was now spinning elastically, reaching Hwang Seok-tae’s thigh.

It was an unbelievable change in speed with a terrifying change in direction.

Hwang Seok-tae struck down at the throwing knife with his fist.

Clang!

The throwing knife broke and rolled on the ground.

Hwang Seok-tae’s fist was not unscathed either. His fist, which had struck the blade of the throwing knife, was cut quite deeply.

‘What is this?’

At that moment, three crescent-shaped sword lights scattered like fireworks.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“Aaaagh!”

A group fell with a scream.

Hwang Seok-tae frowned.

“That’s my kill.”

“Is this the time to be arguing about that!”

Gang Ryang, who had rushed in like the wind, swung his iron sword as if possessed.

Thwack! Thwack!

Taking advantage of the broken formation, he unleashed sword strikes with all his might.

It was a moment that revealed Gang Ryang’s incredible battle sense. When the enemy came on strong, he minimized the consumption of power with evasion and counterattacks, and when the enemy’s weakness was revealed, he unleashed explosive power to maximize the damage.

Even before his martial arts, his battle sense alone deserved praise. It was a different kind of practical sense from Yeon Ho-jeong, a practical swordsman with unlimited potential for growth, despite his shortcomings.

‘Anyway.’

Whoom!

Hwang Seok-tae, having sealed his wound with internal energy, plunged the Crimson Dragon Divine Spear into the side of a swordsman who was aiming for Gang Ryang’s back.

‘Now I understand why the Tang family’s hidden weapon techniques are so dangerous.’

Even blocking a single, thin, and light hidden weapon like a feather transmitted a rather heavy impact.

It was because he was a high-level expert that he easily deflected it, but if it were an expert of the same level, the force would be enough to halt their momentum.

It was not a matter of the quality of internal energy, but a matter of its utilization.

‘The core of the Tang family’s hidden weapon techniques is not the mystery or accuracy of the hidden weapons themselves.’

Clang! Clang! Clang! Bang!

Gang Ryang’s ghost sword drew a strange pattern, inducing the enemy’s weakness.

Hwang Seok-tae did not miss that opening. Unleashing the Giant Dragon Spear Style to its fullest, he pressed the attack, and the number of enemies decreased one by one.

‘That was the basics. On top of those basics, there are separate internal energy formulas that maximize the destructive power, penetration, and speed changes of the hidden weapons.’

Even though he should have been focusing on the fight with the enemy, Hwang Seok-tae couldn’t help but be impressed.

‘Amazing. They put the weight of a thousand pounds into a hidden weapon that doesn’t even weigh a handful. It must have taken generations of effort just to create such a mysterious method of internal energy manipulation.’

This was the power of a prestigious family with a long tradition.

They were not fools who only knew how to wield the powerful martial arts created by their ancestors.

The family itself had been improving and refining a single martial art for hundreds of years, creating new results.

That was the power of history, the power of blood. The Tang family, more closed off and ruthless than any other family, had developed their own unique martial arts and techniques, growing into an absolute power that dominated Sichuan [a province in China, known for its martial arts traditions].

‘This is exactly what the Black Path needs.’

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

No matter how great an expert Hwang Seok-tae was, it was impossible to block all the energy, sword strikes, and hidden weapons pouring in from all directions.

Little by little, his body was also getting injured.

They were not injuries that would cause immediate problems, but they were injuries that could definitely diminish his combat abilities.

Hwang Seok-tae gritted his teeth.

‘Such a history of ancestors is what the Black Path needs. Only then will the Black Path martial world gain real power. A true martial force built up through history, not inferior to the White Path martial world [a term referring to the martial arts world’s more righteous factions].’

Clang! Thwack!

Hwang Seok-tae, who had been strongly pushing back the enemy, suddenly felt something was off.

‘Their attacks…?’

They had become stronger.

They had become stronger, but also more chaotic.

The reason why he was getting injured more often due to sudden attacks was because of this. Hwang Seok-tae had not been able to quickly adapt to the enemy’s formation, which was slowly but surely changing.

‘Why…?!’

It was then.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

In an instant, Hwang Seok-tae felt a chill run down his spine.

From behind him, a pair of black and white battle axes, flying in arcs left and right, had already blown away the heads of ten enemies who had been difficult to deal with.

‘Deputy Commander Yeon?!’

Thud!

When had he returned behind him?

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had stepped on Hwang Seok-tae’s shoulder and soared into the air, retrieved the Black and White Twin Dragon Axes in mid-air and descended at a terrifying speed.

His feet landed precisely among the corpses that had lost their heads.

Boom!

It was an enormous stomp.

The shockwave of the White Tiger, spreading in all directions, shattered the balance of all the surrounding experts.

Flash!

Gang Ryang, not missing the opportunity, moved like a ghost from Yeon Ho-jeong’s left and beheaded three enemies.

The same was true for Pae Yul. He had approached without Hwang Seok-tae even noticing, and moved like lightning from Yeon Ho-jeong’s right, piercing holes in the chests of four enemies.

Chiriririring!

It was Yeon Ho-jeong who blocked the attacks pouring down on the two of them. The Coiling Dragon Chain, moving as if possessed, flexibly blocked the enemies’ relentless attacks, minimizing the impact.

Yeon Ho-jeong shouted.

“Fall back!”

Whoosh!

Gang Ryang and Pae Yul retreated behind Hwang Seok-tae, passing Yeon Ho-jeong.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Yeon Ho-jeong’s Coiling Dragon Chain ignited a massive blaze. The movement of the Coiling Dragon Chain, writhing and blocking the entire front, was truly like a dragon.

In an instant, Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes lit up.

‘It’s me?!’

In a split second, Hwang Seok-tae realized.

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been fighting at the forefront, had torn apart the enemy forces to the left and right. Thanks to that, the enemies that Hwang Seok-tae was facing were also flustered and their formation collapsed. In the meantime, a melee had broken out, and he and the enemies had clashed fiercely.

And now.

With Gang Ryang and Pae Yul retreating to the rear, and Yeon Ho-jeong creating a wall of fire with his Vermilion Fire, the focus of this attack was himself.

Whoosh!

Hwang Seok-tae, charging more powerfully than ever, broke through the wall of fire created by Yeon Ho-jeong and thrust his spear forward.

It was the Giant Dragon Spear Style, Giant Dragon Cannon.

Boom!

It was a technique with the most destructive power among the Giant Dragon Spear Style. It literally unleashed power like a cannon.

In addition, the Vermilion Fire swirled, confusing the enemy’s vision and senses.

Crumble! Bang! Crash!

With all sorts of explosions, the front began to be devastated.

Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes widened.

Swoosh.

The flames subsided, and the Coiling Dragon Chain wriggled back and wrapped around Yeon Ho-jeong’s upper body.

“W-what is this?!”

The carnage created by the Crimson Dragon Divine Spear was too gruesome to look at.

Of the fifteen remaining enemy soldiers, more than ten were rolling on the ground.

More than half of them had died instantly, and the other half were writhing in agony, with parts of their bodies blown away or suffering from severe burns. They were in a state of being unable to fight.

Even though he had created the scene, he couldn’t believe it. Hwang Seok-tae was dumbfounded.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong said with a playful voice.

“As expected, not just anyone can be the Iron Cavalry Commander. You know your stage very well.”

The Azure Dragon Strike of the Coiling Dragon Chain, wrapped in Vermilion Fire, Dragon Army Three Forms.

The cannon-like spear technique, powered by that unprecedented counterattack, had sent so many experts to the afterlife.

Trickle.

Blood flowed from Yeon Ho-jeong’s mouth.

He had unleashed the Azure Dragon Strike with the Vermilion Fire. The reckless use of internal energy had caused severe internal injuries.

However, he would not fall with just this. Rather, like a cornered beast, his fighting spirit was intensifying over time.

Yeon Ho-jeong asked.

“How is it? You said you would withdraw if it seemed dangerous, is it still dangerous?”

Hwang Seok-tae, who had been quietly looking at Yeon Ho-jeong, chuckled.

“You have a knack for surprising people in many ways.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“There was such a battle. I learned a lot.”

“It was because you had a good sense. If you hadn’t read the timing, the battle would have been twice as long.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t have thought of losing, would you?”

“I’m the kind of person who thinks the aesthetics of defeat is nonsense. If I thought I was going to lose, I wouldn’t have fought in a place like this in the first place.”

I really can’t beat him.

Hwang Seok-tae pointed the Crimson Dragon Divine Spear forward.

“I’ll buy the drinks this time.”

There were four remaining experts.

Fear finally appeared on Myeong Cheon’s face, who was standing far away.

Murderous intent filled Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes.

“I think I can have some expensive drinks today.”