Monochrome Sovereign (Novel) - Chapter 29 - Reason for Fighting (4)
Chapter 29 – Reason for Fighting (4)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Buzz, buzz.
The area around the martial arts training ground was filled with young martial artists and guard warriors who had come after hearing the rumors.
Naturally, the Goshawk Squad was also there, and their expressions were miserable beyond description.
“Eldest Young Master!”
“Oh, Leader Shin.”
“Wh-what on earth is happening?”
Yeon Ho-jeong shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s complicated to explain. Anyway, it turned out like this.”
Shin Mo’s expression hardened.
“This won’t do. You must cancel this duel, even now.”
“That is not possible.”
“Eldest Young Master! That man is…!”
“I know that beast’s skill well. His personality might be trash, but his solid spirit was impressive. It seemed like he had fought quite fiercely in his own way.”
It meant that he had felt the opponent’s strength through intuition alone.
In normal times, Shin Mo would have marveled at that superior sense first, but now was not the time for that.
“I will go personally and have this duel canceled.”
“Leader Shin.”
“Eldest Young Master!”
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
“If you were to cause a commotion to cancel this duel, it would instead tarnish the honor of our clan.”
“…!”
“That’s why I said the situation is complicated. Since it has already happened, trust me and wait. Simply worrying is not the only virtue of a subordinate.”
Shin Mo bit his lip.
How could he not know Yeon Ho-jeong’s intention? However, the opponent was far too dangerous.
That Chu Seong was a master whom even Shin Mo himself was not confident in facing easily. Of course, if he released his ‘seal,’ he could overwhelm him within three exchanges, but Chu Seong was a master of a level who could fight on par even with the strength of the Goshawk Squad Leader known to the world.
He had seen Yeon Ho-jeong’s martial arts in person and knew them, but Chu Seong would be difficult. And Chu Seong would not show any mercy just because Yeon Ho-jeong was the Eldest Young Master of the Yeon Clan.
“By the way, what about what I asked for?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes! I am keeping it, but…”
“You didn’t bring it. Well, whatever.”
Yeon Ho-jeong picked up a spear he had set aside. It was a long spear slightly over six feet, which he had obtained from a nearby blacksmith.
“Are you… using a spear? Are you not going to face him with staff techniques?”
“A spear is better.”
At that moment, he saw the Zhuge siblings and Yeon Ji-pyeong running from afar.
Yeon Ho-jeong licked his lips.
“I should go up before they start making a fuss.”
Pah-ak!
He leaped onto the training ground.
He reached the distance of over ten feet in just a single step. It was not a vigorous jump, but a light footwork as if he were flying.
Chu Seong, who had already ascended the training ground, was watching Yeon Ho-jeong with his arms crossed.
“Are you ready?”
“How about you?”
Chu Seong smiled. It was an expression asking if he even needed to prepare to deal with him.
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.
“There is no need to drag this out. Shall we start right away?”
“Fine. But spear techniques?”
“Yes.”
Chu Seong furrowed his brows.
“I heard the main specialties of the Green Mountain Yeon Clan are the saber and the sword?”
“Would I need something like that just to scold you?”
There was no provocation quite like this.
Sss-ss-ss.
A bloodthirsty aura rose from Chu Seong’s body.
The buzzing atmosphere instantly turned silent. People were startled by the unusual aura Chu Seong was emitting.
His strength was one thing, but the ferocity of his temperament was extraordinary. It was to the point of being reminiscent of a carnivorous beast with prey before its eyes.
On the other hand, what about Yeon Ho-jeong?
Whoosh. Whoosh.
As he twirled the long spear in his hand with just his fingers, fallen leaves fluttered along the spear blade.
‘Hmm, it’s decent.’
The sense of balance was subtly different from an iron staff.
Since he had noticed that ‘subtlety,’ it was enough. The fact that the sensation in his hand had recognized it meant that half of the spear techniques were already ingrained in his body.
Whish! Tak!
The spear, which had been rotating faster and faster, stopped with elasticity.
Resting the spear on his shoulder, Yeon Ho-jeong slightly lowered his stance.
Woo-oo-oo-oong.
A faint blue light flickered repeatedly in his pupils.
Chu Seong’s eyes shone.
‘He’s decent.’
The stability of his true qi was considerable. It was not lacking to be evaluated as first-rate.
But that was all. That level of strength at that age was natural for a young talent of the Seven Great Clans.
‘In the end, only that much.’
A slight trace of disappointment appeared on Chu Seong’s face.
He had wondered if there might be something more, but it was exactly up to there. At least his stance alone was plausible.
“Shall we begin?”
“Good. I will yield three moves to you.”
“Three moves?”
Chu Seong chuckled.
“You are facing the Hall Master of the Battle Sword Hall, newly established in the great Namgung Clan. Since you said you would hold me responsible, shouldn’t you receive three moves?”
It was a statement full of arrogance.
However, he was a person qualified to say such things. Everyone who heard his words acknowledged it.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was staring at Chu Seong, relaxed his stance.
Chu Seong tilted his head.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Three moves?”
“That’s right.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s gaze, where the blue light had been flickering, gradually became dull. He had let go of the Jade Gauze True Formula.
“What are you doing? Are you not going to duel?”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“What do you mean?”
Yeon Ho-jeong gave a faint smile.
Chu Seong furrowed his brows. It was a smile that felt somewhat unsettling.
Slither.
Yeon Ho-jeong, holding the middle of the spear, slowly raised it. So that the spearhead pointed at Chu Seong.
‘…?!!’
In an instant, Chu Seong felt a sensation as if his chest were being pricked.
‘Killing intent?’
No.
This was not killing intent, but the sharpness emanating from the spearhead. A needle-sharpness was being emitted from an ordinary iron spear obtained from a blacksmith.
And the moment Chu Seong felt the sharpness of the spear.
At that very moment, Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes returned completely to a state of emptiness.
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
“…!”
“Fine. If you draw your sword before three moves have passed, I will kill you then.”
And then, Yeon Ho-jeong’s attack began.
Step, step.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s steps as he crossed the training ground toward Chu Seong were nothing but ordinary. It was an extremely common walk, neither fast nor slow.
However, Chu Seong’s expression gradually hardened.
‘What?’
Slowly, very slowly.
Watching Yeon Ho-jeong approach without any particular aura, Chu Seong felt an unknown chill.
‘Is there some kind of trap…?’
When the distance between the two narrowed to ten feet.
Yeon Ho-jeong raised his spear.
He raised it above his head as if lifting a large sword. It was a movement like lifting a great saber or an axe, not a spear.
What on earth is this?
Everyone watching the training ground tilted their heads. Why was he handling a spear like that? Did such spear techniques even exist in the world?
In that moment when everyone’s gaze was focused.
Boom!
Yeon Ho-jeong’s foot stomped the floor of the training ground.
It felt as if the entire training ground were shaking. Simultaneously, the six-foot long spear fell straight toward Chu Seong’s head.
Chu Seong’s eyes wavered.
‘Wh-what?!’
The spear was striking down at a terrifying speed.
He could sufficiently dodge it. He could also disrupt the routine with a single gesture.
However, Chu Seong could not easily choose any of those options.
‘Gasp!!’
In an instant, he saw an illusion that covered the surroundings.
In a world of pitch-black darkness, an illusion of a giant axe as large as a mountain falling toward him, who stood alone on a cliff.
Its size, the heaviness that pushed the air aside, and the ferocity that shook the earth were so overwhelming that a sense of despair momentarily surged through his entire body.
‘I-I must dodge…!’
At that moment, Chu Seong encountered a pair of eyes looking down at him from behind the giant axe.
And he also saw that those eyes were slightly curved like crescent moons.
‘Eeeek!’
Chu Seong crossed both arms above his head.
And the spear shaft fell onto those arms.
Thwa-ack!
“Ugh!”
Chu Seong’s knees slightly bent.
‘It’s heavy!!’
It was an incredibly heavy blow.
This was not spear technique. Nor was it just staff technique.
It was a terrifying blow that concentrated the ferocity of an axe, the chill of a blade, the flexibility of staff technique, and the sharpness of spear technique into one.
‘This is bad!’
Woo-oo-oo-oong!
He quickly pulled up his internal energy and poured it into both arms.
A tremendous pain was felt in his forearms. The pain was so strong that for a moment, he had the illusion that they were broken.
But Yeon Ho-jeong’s attack was only beginning.
Bang!
Thunderous Step is a method of gaining power through the counter-force that rises to the lower body by strongly stomping the ground.
Along with one step forward, it was another Thunderous Step. However, this Thunderous Step made a sound that was much larger and more resonant than the one before.
And the second strike was poured out.
Flash!
After the vertical strike that had struck down, it was a thrusting attack executed by grasping the middle of the spear shaft.
‘Fast!’
It was a speed that made him forget the pain in his arms at once. A predator’s killing intent was contained in the spearhead that swung as if to pierce his heart.
Twitch!
For a moment, his fingers twitched.
He had instinctively tried to draw his sword and strike back. However, this was the second move. No, it wasn’t even a move, it was merely the second attack.
‘Eek!’
Chu Seong quickly performed footwork. He had realized that it was impossible to receive it with bare hands.
Pang!
The spear thrust that pierced the air seemed as if it would penetrate the atmosphere and reach the outer wall of a building far away.
‘…!’
A cold sensation arose in his side.
Even the time to look was a waste. But he could know instinctively. That he had failed to dodge that spearhead.
‘I was cut.’
And it was cut quite deeply. If he had been even a little late, the spearhead would have reached his internal organs.
‘This…!’
His mind, which had been loosely relaxed, was instantly filled with tension. His waist straightened, and strength entered his shoulders.
He had thought he had definitely dodged it, but he hadn’t. That was how fast the spear strike had been.
At that moment, the third attack came in.
The wrist of Yeon Ho-jeong, who held the spear shaft, momentarily released a flexible movement.
Pah-pah-pah-pah-ak!
Dozens of spearheads flew toward Chu Seong.
Spear techniques unfolding with one hand. This too was fast. It was so fast that afterimages of the spear were visible.
‘This…!’
What was even more surprising was the timing and preemption.
The spearheads that rushed in with a unique rhythm caused confusion in Chu Seong’s perception. Moreover, the position where he struck in was also exquisite. The spear strike, which preempted an unavoidable direction and lunged, was like a beast rushing in with its mouth wide open.
Chu Seong felt his vision turn dark.
If he couldn’t dodge, he had to block, but every single spear strike contained fierce sharpness. He couldn’t tell which was real.
‘Death?!’
A strange sensation dominated his whole body.
And the moment he felt that sensation, Chu Seong’s hand ended up moving on its own.
Clang!
Yeon Ho-jeong’s spear was bounced off to the right.
“Ugh!”
Simultaneously, Chu Seong’s body also staggered diagonally backward. In his hand was a blue sword studded with jewels.
It was a sword technique.
It was not that he had received it with the sword, nor had he let it flow or defended. He had performed a counterattack with his own ultimate technique to return each other’s attacks to nothing.
Chu Seong’s eyes wavered.
‘I almost died.’
He really almost died. This blow was truly threatening. If he hadn’t drawn his sword and unfolded a technique, three or four holes would have been pierced in his body.
Just how long had it been since he felt such fear? How long had it been since he experienced such tension?
“You couldn’t hold out.”
Startled, Chu Seong looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.
Before he knew it, Yeon Ho-jeong, who had rested the spear shaft on his shoulder, was glaring at Chu Seong with chilling eyes.
“I told you, didn’t I? If you couldn’t hold out for three moves, I would kill you.”
“…!!”
“I shall teach you that even words from a three-inch tongue have the weight of a thousand pounds.”
Pah-ak!
Yeon Ho-jeong rushed in like a beast.