Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 602

“Incredible,” Pae-yul clicked his tongue. He had just witnessed a fire bomb being launched from iron armor. He couldn’t even begin to fathom how such a feat was possible. ‘If you were hit by one of those without any warning, even the most skilled martial artist would…’ It was weaker than an actual cannon, but the fact that it could be fired from the armor at any moment made it far more dangerous. The ability to mass-produce such a weapon was a stark reminder of the Tang family’s immense power. ‘The only good thing is that it’s not a finished product, right?’ It was obvious at a glance. That small cannon was not yet perfected. The arms of the squad members who had fired the cannons were all broken. Not a single one of them was unscathed. It was understandable. With ordinary internal energy, it would be impossible to withstand the shock of the cannon. It would be a relief if it only resulted in broken bones. ‘A relief…’ Pae-yul frowned. It was a relief. That’s what he thought. That was too much. Even in this world where people often turned a blind eye, it was absolutely not normal for a single martial arts family to be producing cannons. ‘Well.’ It wasn’t normal, but it wasn’t really Pae-yul’s problem to be concerned about. For most civilians on the continent, the existence of martial artists would be considered more harmful than cannons. ‘Let’s not dwell on useless thoughts. I need to focus on the current situation.’ Kwarurung! With a roar, the Black Blood Unit staggered once more. In front of them was a fiery warrior wielding black and white hand axes, dancing wildly. Pa-ang! Pae-yul leaped forward. He didn’t go to assist Yeon Ho-jeong. He had his own task to complete. * * * Hook. Tang Ho felt his heart pounding at the low-flowing killing intent. It was the killing intent emanating from Tang Gwan, who was rapidly approaching from afar. The killing intent grew more intense with each passing moment, so much so that it was difficult to even move his limbs. ‘Reinforcements, huh.’ It would have been better if they could have killed him with just the Black Blood Unit. Sreuk. Tang Ho’s body retreated backward. It seemed like a small movement, but he had already retreated more than twenty feet. The moment his figure seemed to waver, he disappeared from sight. It was incredible. Tang Gwan’s eyes gleamed. ‘Shadow Step.’ It was one of the secret footwork techniques of the Tang family. It wasn’t stealthy, but its advantages were low internal energy consumption and high speed. From a young age, Tang Ho had a particular talent for agility techniques. The Shadow Step he had just used, while not stealthy, showed a marvelous ability to confuse human perception. Sreuk. As Tang Ho stopped, Tang Gwan also stopped approaching. There was a distance of about ten feet between them. Tang Gwan spoke. “It’s time to set things right.” “…” “Kneel down willingly.” Tang Ho raised his chin. “Nonsense. If you surrender now, I’ll spare you a gruesome end.” There were no more honorifics or polite language. Tang Gwan raised his hand. Woo-woo-woo-woong. A single dagger was dyed a deep green. “This situation itself is the worst for me.” “If you kneel quietly, I won’t send your children to the Paradise [a place of eternal suffering].” “…!” Tang Gwan’s face contorted. He couldn’t even bring himself to say if that was possible. Tang Ho was now saying that he would send his nephew to the Paradise, where he would be neither dead nor alive. “You rotten bastard!” Hwa-a-a-ak! Tang Ho’s words, which had already pushed him to the limit of his anger, had robbed him of even a shred of sympathy. “You’re no longer human!” Flash! The dagger that flew from Tang Gwan’s hand reached Tang Ho’s neck in an instant. It was as fast as a ray of light, and it seemed as if Tang Ho’s neck would be pierced in an instant. That’s when it happened. Ti-i-ing! The deflected dagger was embedded in the outer wall of the main house. “…As expected.” The arm that had deflected the dagger was trembling faintly. The Yeonhyeol armor [armor that enhances blood circulation and strength] was visible under his sleeve. He had anticipated the attack and raised his arm to block it, but the impact had penetrated deep into his bones. He knew the difference in power would be great, but he never imagined it would be this much. “I admit it. I have no choice but to admit it.” Tang Ho’s face contorted. “I admit that you have reached a level that is different from mine.” Tang Gwan said coldly. “There’s nothing to admit. I will no longer consider you a brother, and I will destroy everything you have.” “I’ll return those words to you.” Hwa-a-a-a-ak! From Tang Ho’s sleeve, a faint yellow smoke poured out. The amount didn’t seem like much, but it soon covered the surroundings like a cloud. ‘Seven-Step Soul Severing Powder.’ It was one of the five great poisons of the Tang family. It was a famous poison even in the martial world, a vicious thing that could take the life of even the greatest expert before they could take seven steps. Tang Gwan scoffed and waved his hand. Hu-u-u-ung! The yellow smoke that had formed a huge cloud was sucked into Tang Gwan’s palm. Even if one had reached the realm of a poison master, or mastered the Emperor’s Poison Art, they couldn’t handle the five great poisons carelessly. It was dangerous to their lives. Tang Gwan was an exception. He was someone who had undergone life-and-death training by stuffing the five great poisons into his body to increase his mastery of poison arts. Unless it was an intangible poison, he would not lose his life. “Is releasing a mere poison all you can do while facing the master of the Tang clan?” Tang Ho smiled. “Of course not.” Thud! In that instant, Tang Gwan felt his heart beat strongly. “Even if you don’t know anything else, it seems your arrogance is still the same. You shouldn’t think that the Seven-Step Soul Severing Powder I handle is the same as the Seven-Step Soul Severing Powder you know.” Joo-roo-rook. Black blood flowed from Tang Gwan’s nose and mouth. His complexion turned pale in an instant. His eyes were bloodshot, and his fingertips were trembling faintly. It was a symptom of poisoning. “I prepared a lot for you, but I didn’t know you would fall so easily…” “I’ll say it again.” Chi-i-i-ik! The blood flowing from Tang Gwan’s nose and mouth turned into reddish-brown smoke and scattered in an instant. The color returned to his pale face, and his bloodshot eyes returned to normal. Tang Ho’s face hardened. “It’s a miscalculation if you thought you could do anything to me with just poison.” A yellow liquid formed on Tang Gwan’s fingertips. Ttuk. Ttuk. Chi-i-ik! The moment the liquid that fell from his fingertips touched the ground, the ground burned. It wasn’t just a simple Seven-Step Soul Severing Powder. Using the poison that Tang Ho had released as a medium, he had extracted all the impurities from his body. Some internal energy was consumed, but his physical condition was actually better than before. Tang Gwan clenched his fist. “Even if you change the symptoms and the route of penetration with tricks, you cannot change the fundamental toxicity.” Tang Gwan swung his fist. ‘Danger!’ Kwaang! The rock that had stood in that place for hundreds of years exploded from the force of the fist that was fired into the air. Cold sweat formed on Tang Ho’s face. He was lucky to have instinctively leaped away. If he had been just a little late, he would have suffered a fatal injury from this blow. “I will kill you.” Hu-u-u-ung. The smoke flowing from his fist obscured Tang Gwan’s expression. “But you can’t just die. You must die after everyone has seen your dirty true face.” Tang Ho sneered. “You speak as if you have my life in your hands.” Pa-a-a-a-ang! Tang Gwan had already reached Tang Ho’s range. It was a blinding speed. Even Tang Ho, who was confident in his footwork, was momentarily terrified by the speed. Tang Gwan’s hand aimed for Tang Ho’s shoulder. Jji-i-i-ik! The collar of Tang Ho’s clothes near his shoulder was torn off. At Tang Ho’s level, the energy of his entire body was in perfect harmony, so his clothes wouldn’t be damaged by ordinary impacts. Yet, his clothes were torn so easily. If his shoulder had been grabbed, one of his arms would have been torn off. ‘I’m going to die.’ Tang Ho used the Shadow Step to its extreme. ‘If I get caught, I’ll die!’ Pa-pa-pa-pa-pang! The figures of the two men were chaotically embroidered in the air. Tang Gwan, who was more confident in his footwork than anyone else as a member of the Tang family, and Tang Ho, whose mastery of agility techniques was far superior to his mastery of poison and hidden weapons. The movements of the two brothers were so fast that even the eyes of a top expert could not follow them. ‘Amazing.’ Leaving aside the rising killing intent, Tang Gwan had no choice but to highly evaluate Tang Ho’s agility techniques. ‘It’s comparable to that brat’s speed.’ In terms of instantaneous explosive speed, Yeon Ho-jeong would be slightly faster. However, in terms of sustainability, Tang Ho was clearly a step above. This was truly amazing. Agility techniques, unlike other martial arts, were somewhat detached from mastery and method, but the fact that he was showing this level of speed even though he had not reached the extreme level proved that he was born with a genius-like talent. ‘With such talent.’ Tang Gwan’s eyes darkened. ‘Why did you fall into the evil path?’ From a young age, Tang Ho had said that his talent had limitations. But when Tang Gwan looked at it, Tang Ho’s talent was by no means insignificant. Although he was not as good as himself, the difference was not that great. It was enough to be overturned with simple effort. If he had believed in that talent and steadily moved forward step by step, he would have become an expert no less than himself by now. Tang Gwan reached out his hand forcefully. Peo-eo-eo-eong! An explosion occurred in the air, and Tang Ho’s figure staggered. Pa-a-ang! Tang Gwan, who had already recognized where his opponent would evade before attacking, reached out his fist towards Tang Ho’s chest. Hook! Amazing. In a split second, he bent his waist to avoid the fist strike. At this moment, even Tang Gwan, the best in the world, couldn’t help but admire him. Peo-peo-peong! Although he was not inferior in speed, the difference in raw power was clear. Tang Gwan could use a long-range palm strike as naturally as breathing while moving at this speed. But that was impossible for Tang Ho. Tang Ho’s figure became precarious. He was somehow avoiding the long-range palm strikes and Tang Gwan’s sudden attacks, but his vision was becoming increasingly blurred, and his senses were becoming exhausted. Flash! Finally, at last. Tang Gwan accurately captured the flaw in Tang Ho’s movement, which had broken down. Peo-eo-eo-eo-eok! A single dagger flew and pierced Tang Ho’s abdomen. If he had intended to kill him in an instant, he could have killed him with a poisoned palm strike. But if that wasn’t the case, it would take time to subdue Tang Ho with delicate poison techniques. The same was true for hidden weapons. If he didn’t intend to kill him in one go, he had to seal the endless Tang family killing techniques. He was someone who could be subdued without using such things. That was why Tang Gwan was the head of the family. “I’ll end it now… Huh?!” Tang Ho, who was falling to the ground at a rapid speed, twisted his body in an instant. Ta-a-a-ang! A single dagger flew towards Tang Gwan. Tang Gwan caught the dagger with a smooth hand movement. ‘This is?’ This dagger was the one that had been embedded in Tang Ho’s stomach. But surprisingly, there was no blood on the blade of the dagger. ‘It clearly pierced his stomach?!’ What was even more surprising was. ‘It’s strong.’ A faint shock remained in the hand that had caught the dagger. It wasn’t the kind of power that Tang Ho’s skills could produce. It was an attack power that would be difficult even for the principle of the Four-Phase Palm Strike. ‘How…?!’ Pa-ba-ba-bak! Tang Ho, who had landed on the ground, swung his palms at Tang Gwan. Kwarurung! Surprise appeared on Tang Gwan’s face. The power of the rising palm force was truly great. It was a force that even Tang Gwan, the best in the world, would hesitate to receive carelessly. Pi-i-i-ing! Tang Gwan, who had spun around to avoid the palm force, landed on the ground. “Hoo-woo-woo.” Tang Ho breathed lightly. His eyes were burning red. Tang Gwan said coldly. “What trick did you play?” “Why would I tell you that?” Tang Ho grinned. The pupils that had turned blood-red made his smile look vicious. “It’s just as I expected. You’re not fit to be the head of the family after all.” “…?!” “Welcome to my kingdom.” Kwaduk! From all over the surrounding ground, dozens of black shadows sprang up. * * * Flash! Surprise was cast over Tang Hyeong’s eyes, which were filled with confusion. “A Demon Gate?!”