Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 592

The One Who Sank into Darkness (4)

Take responsibility.

Not as the former Clan Leader, not as the greatest master of Sichuan, not as the absolute monarch who led the Dang Clan’s revival.

Take responsibility as a father with children.

Swoosh.

The neatly tied hair slowly began to wriggle.

Even though there was no wind, and no internal energy was being emitted, the hair moved on its own.

Every single, minute tissue that made up the body was filled with life. It was the true form of a master who had breathed life into even the body tissues that ordinary people never consciously perceive.

“Are you telling me to take responsibility? Me?”

“Yes, I am.”

“As a parent with children, you mean to take responsibility so that your children don’t go astray.”

“You understand correctly.”

“Then.”

Dang Hyeong spoke with a still calm face, but with a completely different glint in his eyes than before.

“You’re saying I should admit my mistake. That I, myself, handed over the clan to unprepared descendants.”

“You’re wrong.”

“What?”

The face of Yeon Ho-Jeong, which had been stiff with tension, had already regained its original indifference.

“Before handing over the clan to unprepared descendants, Senior, you led the Dang Clan in the wrong direction.”

“……!”

“That’s why you earnestly told the current Clan Leader not to be like you, isn’t it?”

“…….”

Dang Hyeong’s cheek twitched slightly.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“It’s my specialty to turn people’s stomachs, but in this situation, talking about past mistakes is just a waste of time. So, I’ll tell you.”

“…….”

“Regardless of right or wrong, you must protect it, starting from ‘now.’ You can look back on past mistakes after everything is over.”

Dang Hyeong closed his eyes.

“Go away.”

“…….”

“I won’t ask why you know the situation of the main family so well. But that’s enough. The main family’s affairs are to be resolved by the main family. And I’m already retired.”

“Then, take your own life right now.”

“What?”

“Unless you’re dead, there’s no such thing as retirement in the relationship between parents and children.”

“……!”

“There are even many who honor and respect their deceased ancestors, and who believe that the bond made by heaven does not break even when their bones turn to dust. They believe that even in death, the heavenly bond does not collapse.”

“…….”

“Also, it is said that even if children forget their parents, parents cannot forget their children. But why are you trying to forget your children, Senior?”

“Any more presumptuous remarks…….”

“If you want to sever the relationship, either kill yourself or go out right now and kill your children.”

“You rascal!”

“Don’t use the hollow words of clan rules and family law as an excuse to ignore reality!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words, which suddenly exploded, made even the great Dang Hyeong shut his mouth.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes blazed.

“Are you hurt in your pride? Or are you resentful towards your children! Even if that’s the case, that cannot be an excuse for not caring for your children!”

“You rascal!”

“A family exists because of blood ties! If the blood ties are about to die, what good are those clan rules and family laws!”

Within the words that poured out like an explosion, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s sincerity and frustration were embedded.

It was the sincerity of someone who had lost their family. Yeon Ho-Jeong, too, had hated his younger brother and distanced himself from his father, even though their positions and situations were different. So there was no conversation, and there was not even an attempt to understand his family.

No matter how parents taught their children, Yeon Ho-Jeong had clearly lived such a life.

And he failed to defeat the evil enemies who destroyed his family. All he could do was run away.

Yeon Ho-Jeong floundered in bitter regret.

If he had known he would meet such an end, he would have fought to the end. If he had known he couldn’t prevent such an end, he would have spent even one more day happily with his family.

Thanks to an unknown stroke of luck, he had returned to the past and corrected his past mistakes, but such luck was not given to just anyone.

So Yeon Ho-Jeong understood. He couldn’t know Dang Hyeong’s true feelings, but he understood that Dang Hyeong was unaware of the unimaginable regret he would inevitably experience.

But he couldn’t just stand by and watch.

This situation involved everything: enemies, the martial world, relationships, and the livelihood of the people.

“Don’t blame your dereliction of duty on empty rules and regulations! Don’t turn a blind eye to your responsibility!”

“Enough! Retirement means freedom from all responsibility! The next generation must take responsibility for their own affairs! Don’t pass the problems you created onto the previous generation!”

“We are not passing on problems! We are talking about the proper duty of a human being!”

“Don’t try to persuade me with the plausible words of human duty! Where you live, the culture and customs are different! Your words are just a principle that applies where you live!”

If Yeon Ho-Jeong’s heart was like that, Dang Hyeong was also in a state where he could not soothe his burning anger and wounded pride.

The Dang Clan before Dang Hyeong’s reign was just as oppressive and ruthless.

It was inevitable from the moment they touched poison and hidden weapons. The transmission was cautious, and there were many who did not even know the existence of secrets, except for a very few.

Obsession with blood ties. Rejection of outsiders.

That’s why the retired figures of the previous generation interfered a lot with the children of the current generation. Even though everyone properly taught the Dang Clan’s family law, they naturally had no choice but to get involved in politics because they emphasized extreme caution.

The person who directly broke that bad habit was Dang Gwan.

Regardless of how capable Dang Gwan was as a Clan Leader, it was the right choice to prevent the retired figures of the previous generation from interfering in the politics of the current generation.

Dang Hyeong also acknowledged that. However, sudden changes always caused side effects. So he advised his son to change gradually with a slow but safe policy.

Dang Gwan refused Dang Hyeong’s words. Rather, he even imprisoned Dang Hyeong’s younger brother, Dang Hyang-mun, in a prison for interfering too much in the current family business and undermining the dignity of the Clan Leader.

At that time, Dang Hyeong realized. Dang Gwan was already beyond his control.

He was his son, but at the same time, he was the Clan Leader. And Dang Gwan had inherited his own self-righteousness and high pride.

Having seen all of that, Dang Hyeong immediately confined himself.

He could have used his power to get his younger brother out. He could have used his power to correct his son’s radical politics.

But he didn’t.

Because he knew that once he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop.

Because he knew that would only break the family’s rules.

Because he felt that if he crossed the line he had told his son not to cross, he would lose his son forever.

So Dang Hyeong declared his retirement. He forbade anyone from visiting this place.

He wanted to take all the responsibility himself, but he didn’t step forward because he knew that such responsibility would shake the family’s rules and hurt his son’s pride.

That was how he had lived his life. Even with martial arts that shook the world, he had not stepped out into the world since his confinement.

To such a Dang Hyeong, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words sounded plausible, but they were just empty words without substance.

“Even if it’s just a principle and not the truth, Senior’s actions cannot be justified!”

“There is a limit to my patience! If you don’t leave quickly, I will take your life!”

“Even if my life is taken, the result will show that Senior’s stubbornness is worthless!”

“You rascal!”

“Why did you confine yourself here? Why didn’t you leave the Dang Clan?!”

“……!!”

It was like an unexpected blow. At least, it was for Dang Hyeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke with a flushed face.

“If you really wanted to retire, you should have left the family, but why did you stay here and make people worry with words like retirement and confinement!”

“……It is my freedom to decide where I retire.”

“Stop talking nonsense! Senior was just hoping!”

“…….”

“You were hoping that the day would come when your children would call you again, that the day would come when you could laugh and talk with your blood relatives!”

Kwaaaang!

With a loud explosion, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body was pushed back.

It was an enormous blow. It was so powerful that even the great Yeon Ho-Jeong’s mind was momentarily blown away and then returned.

If his body hadn’t reacted first, he would have surely died.

But Yeon Ho-Jeong was not afraid. Nor was he angry.

He felt the heartbreak and sorrow contained in this blow, so he became calm instead.

Cheeeek!

Dang Hyeong’s hand, from which smoke was rising, slowly clenched into a strong fist.

Yeon Ho-Jeong gasped for breath.

“Go out. Go and fix everything.”

“……A warning is enough once.”

“I’m not saying you should solve this situation. Just go and talk. Tell them that your method is wrong, that with the power you gained that way, the Dang Clan will soon be finished.”

“Do you really want to die!”

“Tell them that acts such as kidnapping civilians in Sichuan and making them playthings for the powerful are absolutely wrong!”

Dang Hyeong’s face contorted.

The Sichuan Dang Clan. The Dang family.

The strongest force in Sichuan Province, and a great family that had the absolute support of the people of Sichuan.

For his own child, who was born and raised in such a family, to be treating civilians like that was an unforgivable crime with no room for excuses.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke of human duty. Dang Hyeong said that the duty this impudent young man was talking about did not apply to the Dang Clan, and he actually thought so.

But.

The civilians were different. Even the foreign forces that invaded the Central Plains did not recklessly touch civilians. Apart from how immoral it was, they instinctively knew that they should never touch that area.

His own child was turning over a sanctuary that no one should ever invade. Dang Hyeong felt his mind go blank.

“Are you going to refuse to step forward until the end?”

“…….”

“Fine. Then, stay locked up here and watch until this Dang Clan is finished.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his body.

“I am going to kill Senior’s children right now.”

At that moment, Dang Hyeong’s eyes wavered.

“You rascal!”

“It’s something that could be easily resolved if Senior stepped forward, but if Senior doesn’t, the situation will become difficult. And I don’t like meaningless bloodshed.”

Whirrrrr!

Flame-like energy waves blazed from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body.

The energy waves that burst out in an instant were great, but the shadow of killing intent that was cast within those energy waves was so intense that even Dang Hyeong felt a chill.

“I will kill one wicked person who is beyond redemption and save countless lives that could die in vain. Senior should be grateful to me. Because I’m taking on the responsibility that Senior should be carrying.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong swung his fist.

Kwaaaang!

The entrance of the cave, which was directly hit by the Crimson Flame Flesh Shattering Fist, collapsed. The fragments that should have been gathered inward flew in all directions, revealing a large entrance.

Flash!

Yeon Ho-Jeong had already disappeared.

“…….”

Dang Hyeong, who was looking at the collapsed cave entrance with trembling eyes, closed his eyes.

The words Yeon Ho-Jeong had left behind shook his head. His heart ached, and his hands and feet twitched involuntarily. He didn’t know what to do.

It was then.

“……?!”

Dang Hyeong, who suddenly opened his eyes, looked towards the outer gate of the Dang Clan.

“……Gwan?!”