Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 623

“Kuh-ahhh!”

The sight of Tang Ho spewing blood from his mouth and nose was truly gruesome.

‘What is this?’

Tang Gwan was the one who was rather taken aback.

To crush his spine and inflict such extreme internal pain?

That was not his intention. If he had meant to kill him, he would have done it cleanly. He had planned to rupture Tang Ho’s heart meridian [a vital energy pathway in traditional martial arts] with a single blow.

However, the force twisted, and the power of his explosive strike scattered, disrupting the penetration force.

‘Did I?’

No. Tang Gwan was certain. It wasn’t an instinctive misfire due to his blood ties.

At that moment, Tang Hyeong spoke.

“Limitless……”

“……?”

Tang Gwan looked at Tang Hyeong.

Tang Hyeong was staring at some distant point with a surprised expression.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen pressure with this much force. Without reaching the realm of Limitless, it’s impossible to inflict such an impact from that distance.”

“……?!”

“This energy… yes, it’s that fellow.”

Tang Hyeong spoke in a tone of disbelief.

“The young man who came to find me, the one who leads the Murim Alliance’s [a martial arts alliance] Yu Gun unit, it’s the energy coming from his body.”

In an instant, Tang Gwan felt a chill run down his spine.

“Yeon Ho-Jeong, are you saying that he has reached Limitless?”

“……At least, that’s what my senses tell me.”

A powerhouse of the Saintly Realm was feeling it directly. Then, it must be true.

‘Limitless, you say.’

Tang Gwan’s mouth fell open.

‘You, have you really reached the realm of Limitless?’

Limitless(無極), Chaos(混沌), Infinity(無限), Half-Immortal(半仙).

A realm that cannot be described by any words, simply called the Limitless Realm.

It was the realm of an absolute master, one that was difficult to produce even once in a generation. In the current Murim, thirteen martial artists had pioneered the realm of Limitless, but in reality, any one of them was worthy of being called the best in the world.

The problem was Yeon Ho-Jeong’s age.

‘At that age, he has truly reached Limitless?!’

It was already a world-shaking event when he broke through the wall of the Martial Ancestor at just over twenty years old. It was not for nothing that Yeon Ho-Jeong was called the best of the younger generation.

But now, it was Limitless.

He had stepped into a great realm that would etch his name in the history of Murim at an age not even thirty.

“Truly……”

There was a sense of futility in Tang Gwan’s voice.

“It’s outrageous.”

Jealousy only arises when it’s within reason.

Most of the powerhouses of the Saintly Realm reached the realm of Limitless in their fifties or sixties, earning praise for their unparalleled talent. It was said that it was already an unfathomable event that so many amazing geniuses had appeared in one generation.

Yet, Yeon Ho-Jeong was still in his twenties. If those who reached Limitless in their fifties or sixties were geniuses, what should Yeon Ho-Jeong be called?

“A monster, indeed.”

Tang Hyeong sighed quietly.

“The world is always evolving. Academics, martial arts, society.”

“……”

“Beyond talent, other monsters suited to the current era are emerging. But even so, reaching Limitless at that age is too much.”

“……”

“Even if other geniuses pioneer the realm of Limitless in the future, the leader of the next generation will undoubtedly be that fellow.”

An absolute powerhouse representing a generation of the entire Murim.

What a terrifying modifier that was. Just thinking about those words made Tang Gwan feel a chill.

“……Huh.”

Tang Gwan shook his head.

“He’s a fellow who was born with a talent for surprising people, but now there’s nothing more to be surprised about.”

Tang Gwan looked down at Tang Ho.

“Cough! Hack!”

Was it because his energy had backfired?

Tang Ho was continuously spitting out dark red blood. His distorted eyes were bloodshot, and his arms were twitching wildly.

His spine was broken, so he wouldn’t be able to stand. One of his legs was already ruined by Tang Hyeong’s hidden technique, but now he was truly a cripple.

Tang Gwan raised his hand again.

Whoooom.

Powerful energy gathered once more in the Dark Dragon Palm.

There were no words of farewell, nor any words of death.

Tang Gwan coldly swung his hand.

Thwack!

Tang Ho, who had been flopping like a fish, soon went limp. The energy of the Dark Dragon Palm, which had penetrated his body, had completely destroyed his heart meridian.

Thus, Tang Ho lost his life.

Tang Gwan sighed.

It was a sigh filled with many emotions.

Tang Hyeong was the same. Deep despair and piercing sorrow were etched on his face as he looked at his dead second son.

No matter how amazing Yeon Ho-Jeong’s breakthrough to Limitless was, could it compare to the sorrow of parents and siblings who had executed their own flesh and blood?

Tang Gwan, who had been quietly looking down at Tang Ho, slung his corpse and the unconscious Tang Yeo-Seon over his shoulders.

Tang Hyeong asked.

“Are you planning to take them to the main hall?”

“Yes, I am.”

“……Alright.”

Tang Hyeong, who had been sighing, hesitated for a moment as a thought crossed his mind.

‘Is my role over now?’

Why had he intervened in the family’s affairs after escaping his confinement?

It was because of Tang Ho. It was to restore the family, which had become a bloodbath, to its original state.

But now, it was alright.

Tang Gwan had appeared, and Tang Ho was dead. The battle beyond the main hall, which he could sense, also seemed to be over.

Whoosh.

He also felt someone moving across the sky like lightning.

It was Yeon Ho-Jeong, the one who had pioneered the realm of Limitless. It was clear that he was going to end that fight.

‘Yeon Ho-Jeong, huh.’

Tang Hyeong nodded.

It was unbelievable, but if he had opened the realm of Limitless, the internal strife was as good as over.

The realm of Limitless was a completely different dimension from the so-called realm of the supreme masters.

If reaching the supreme realm from the peak was like breaking through a wall and entering a new world, then a supreme master opening the realm of Limitless was like a person walking on the ground taking flight into the sky.

Body, true energy, thoughts, soul, everything was transformed.

It wasn’t about becoming a stronger person, but about becoming a completely different species.

‘Well, what’s so unbelievable about it?’

When you reach this age, you realize that things that were considered impossible happen countless times in the world.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was the same. It was truly amazing that he had opened Limitless before thirty, but it certainly wasn’t impossible.

Swoosh.

Tang Hyeong stopped walking.

Tang Gwan, who had been walking ahead, also stopped.

“……”

The two men stood silently, as if rooted to the ground.

Tang Hyeong was the first to speak.

“You are a good family head.”

Tang Hyeong’s voice, which had recovered from his shock, was more composed than expected.

“When you took the position of family head, I thought you would become a good one. But I thought you were lacking at the time.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes, which were facing forward, wavered.

Tang Hyeong continued.

“You were indeed lacking. I still think so now. You were sufficient at the time, but you were far from perfect. Just like I was.”

“……”

“Although this kind of situation has occurred, just from the way you acted a moment ago, I can see that you have grown significantly. You have become a truly excellent family head.”

He had become an excellent family head.

Like most fathers living in this era, there were not many fathers who showed their true feelings to their sons.

They would say it was not enough even if they did well, and they would scold them until they did well if they did poorly. In this era, that was the natural way of education.

Moreover, the Tang family, known for their ruthlessness, rarely uttered a word of praise.

“……”

Tang Gwan closed his eyes without a word.

Tang Hyeong said with an awkward expression.

“You’re doing well.”

He wanted to say this much.

Not words like your efforts will shine, or you are working hard.

He had always wanted to tell him that he was doing well enough now.

Swoosh.

Tang Hyeong unconsciously grabbed his black robe.

“……”

His hand, which was holding the robe, trembled slightly.

But that was only for a moment.

Tang Hyeong released his hand from the robe. He had failed to muster the final courage.

He turned his body.

“Even if things have been resolved to some extent, it will take quite some time to rebuild.”

“……”

“Try not to skip meals if you can help it.”

It was then.

“How do you know?”

Tang Hyeong turned back to Tang Gwan.

Tang Gwan was still turned away.

“How do you know, Father?”

“……?”

“Have you ever seen it? Whether I am a decent family head as the master of the Tang clan.”

“That is……”

“Do not say you have confirmed what you have not seen with your eyes. Do not mistake that you know what you have not heard with your ears.”

“……”

“Those are the words you used to drill into my ears when I was young, Father.”

“That’s right.”

“You don’t know me, Father. You will never know how I have led this family, how much I have worried, what efforts I have made to live.”

“……”

“Do not give insincere praise. Do not be certain or mistaken about what you have not seen or heard.”

It was an extremely cold statement.

Tang Hyeong said in a subdued voice.

“I just……”

“If you want to properly evaluate me.”

Tang Gwan turned his head.

A face that was neither gentle nor stern.

Although expressionless, his two eyes, which held an indescribable light, were as clear and deep as a lake.

“You can just watch and listen by my side.”

“……?!”

“No matter how outstanding the senses of a Saintly Realm are, there is nothing more certain than seeing and hearing directly, is there?”

“……!!”

Tang Hyeong’s eyes wavered.

Tang Gwan continued calmly. No, he continued as if he was calm.

“Although the greatest damage has been prevented, many people have still died. So many people have sacrificed themselves, and you want to return to the way things were?”

“……”

“I will create a Tang family that is stronger and more solid than before.”

“……!”

“I will change the flaws of overly strict laws and the shortcomings of an overly closed family tradition. But……”

“……”

“I will not change it hastily and dangerously like I did twenty years ago.”

Tang Hyeong unconsciously swallowed.

He had to force his throat several times to swallow something that was welling up.

Seeing that, Tang Gwan slightly turned his head. If he looked his father in the eye and spoke, he felt like he would be buried in those hot emotions and wouldn’t be able to say what he needed to say.

After clearing his throat a few times, Tang Gwan spoke in a clear voice.

“Watch and listen by my side. You should see the one you handed the position of family head to grow into a prodigy, so you can spend your final years in peace, right?”

A father and son, stained with love and hate, who had vowed never to see each other for the rest of their lives.

After twenty years, the father first conveyed his true feelings, and the son, who was as stiff as a board, also expressed his true feelings.

“I always wanted to serve you.”

“……”

“But my pride was hurt, so I couldn’t go to you.”

“……I know.”

“Later, I gave up, thinking it was inevitable and that I had to live like this now.”

“I, I did too.”

Tang Gwan made an effort to turn his head.

“It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

Tears finally flowed from Tang Hyeong’s eyes.

Tang Gwan turned his body.

He could tell that his father was crying even without looking. There was no way that his proud father would want to show his son that he was crying.

Tang Gwan said in a slightly brighter voice.

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s go. Let’s go together.”

Thump!

Inside his wounded and torn organs.

The ruptured heart meridian began to connect little by little.