Aiming at the Light (6)
Moyong Gun stepped out of his quarters and came face to face with Yeon Hojeong standing in the middle of the path.
“……”
A strange silence settled between them.
Moyong Gun was the first to break it.
“Heading to a battlefield, are you?”
Yeon Hojeong answered with an expressionless face.
“If it involves you, I’d take war any day.”
“Your compliments are always so sweet to hear.”
Despite his words, Moyong Gun felt a subtle tension rise within him.
Yeon Hojeong had come fully armed.
He was not wearing the uniform of the Myeolsa Army. Over a high-quality red martial robe he wore a thick white outer coat. Its elegant drape was impressive, but the weapons strapped to his body were utterly menacing.
Beneath the coat, a dark-gray iron chain crossed his torso diagonally like a suit of armor.
The famous weapon of the Byeoksanhojang—the Mad Dragon Axe—rested on his shoulder, while two sturdy hand axes hung at his waist like swords.
That was not all. Daggers were tightly bound to the outside of his shins alongside reinforced greaves. He had surely hidden even more weapons in places not visible to the eye.
It was an outfit that made the phrase “fully armed” feel like an understatement. He truly looked like a warrior marching off to war.
Moyong Gun spoke with an icy expression.
“I already know how exceptional your qi techniques are. That skill of yours—directing killing intent solely at me without harming anything else around us—requires a profound understanding of qi that few possess.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Now, will you explain yourself? Why have you sought me out at this late hour and bared your killing intent toward me?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
That utterly chilling smile slowly, steadily raised Moyong Gun’s pulse.
It was not the skill or the killing intent itself that surprised him. He could sense that Yeon Hojeong had grown stronger yet again, but he had always known the young man’s talent.
What put Moyong Gun on edge was the suddenness of the action.
Though they stood on opposing sides and constantly clashed, Yeon Hojeong had never approached him this aggressively before.
There was clearly something unusual at play. What frightened him was not Yeon Hojeong’s martial power, but his intent.
“Let’s change locations first. I know a place suitable for conversation.”
Moyong Gun laughed coldly.
“Conversation?”
“That’s right.”
After staring at Yeon Hojeong for a long moment, Moyong Gun clasped his hands behind his back.
“Lead on.”
“As you wish.”
Yeon Hojeong turned and began walking.
Following behind him, Moyong Gun thought.
Could it be that his daughter had been caught sending information to the Black Dragon Department?
Of course, nothing in the world was perfect. Yet Moyong Gun was certain that the process of Moyong Yeon-hwa sending information to the Black Dragon Department had not been exposed.
It was not blind faith in his own thoroughness; Yeon Hojeong’s reaction told him everything. Had it been discovered, the young man would have stayed silent or launched a counterattack through behind-the-scenes maneuvers.
Besides that matter, he had been involved in many other things. But all of them had taken place outside the Martial Alliance. And most were simply necessary steps for the revival of his family—nothing outsiders had any right to criticize.
In that short span of time, Moyong Gun organized his thoughts.
The back of Yeon Hojeong walking with perfect posture looked as if it would not bend even before a landslide.
After his recent rest and conversation with Moyong Woo, Moyong Gun had regained the self he once was.
He had returned to the man who had once sharpened his intuition and intellect to a razor’s edge—the same man whose terrifying political prowess had created the decisive spark for the founding of the Martial Alliance.
That was how he knew. The reason Yeon Hojeong had come to him today was no ordinary matter. It was not an attempt to attack or bury him.
The killing intent Yeon Hojeong had unleashed moments ago had been genuine. Its density carried a ferocity that could only stem from true intent.
Why this young monster had come for him.
Some time passed.
“This place is…?”
“Have you been here before?”
“Of course.”
Moyong Gun gave a short laugh.
“It’s one of the many training grounds scattered throughout the main alliance.”
It was the very place where, before the combined Tangma and Myeolsa armies had set out to annihilate the Hoerangdan, Gong Gong Dae-sa had given guidance to both Yeon Hojeong and Moyong Woo.
“A good place for conversation…”
The corner of Moyong Gun’s mouth curled upward.
“Was that conversation meant to be exchanged through blades?”
“Perhaps.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled coldly as well.
“That will depend on what kind of man you are.”
Moyong Gun gestured toward Yeon Hojeong’s leg with his chin.
“You handle daggers too?”
“If necessary.”
“If necessary… In other words, when you intend to use every ounce of your full power?”
“I have never once held back in real combat. Though it does depend on who the opponent is.”
“So when the opponent is me, it’s better to bring as many weapons as possible?”
“Correct.”
Thud!
The thick blade of the Mad Dragon Axe sank into the ground.
Woooong.
An unusual wave of energy radiated from Yeon Hojeong’s body. The Yeon Family Divine Elixir was activating.
The legendary core formed by fusing the Yeon family’s divine arts began to circulate, releasing an overwhelming surge of internal energy.
“Before we move to real combat, we have never truly compared our martial arts, have we? Aside from exchanging a few playful strikes, that is.”
Moyong Gun smirked.
“That’s true. We’ve only ever spoken of killing or sparing each other.”
“Since it has come to this, shall we lightly exchange some moves?”
“Exchange moves…”
Ziiiing! Ziiiing!
Blue electric light began to spark at Moyong Gun’s fingertips.
“Exchanging moves is fine. A true martial artist reads his opponent’s heart through their martial arts. This is what I have been hoping for as well.”
“Good.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled and lowered his stance.
“Let’s begin.”
Moyong Gun nodded.
“Come.”
Swish!
Yeon Hojeong’s charge was clean.
It was not his usual direct, explosive rush. It was fast enough, yet anyone could tell he was not using full power.
Yeon Hojeong swung the Mad Dragon Axe.
Whoosh!
Though he was not exerting full strength, the sound of the eighty-catty heavy weapon slicing through the air remained terrifying.
Moyong Gun’s hand moved.
Creeeeaaang!
With a clear metallic ring, Yeon Hojeong was forced back several steps.
Moyong Gun frowned.
“You’re not even showing three-tenths of your real ability.”
“We agreed to keep it light.”
“That is not what I meant. To produce this much force with less than three-tenths of your power… You truly are formidable.”
“Again.”
Swish!
Faster than before. Still not enough to disturb Moyong Gun’s senses.
The two men’s weapons collided head-on.
Clang!
A heavier impact rang out than before.
Retreating several steps to dissipate the shock, Yeon Hojeong spoke.
“Do you remember the Uisinhoe?”
Flash!
Moyong Gun crossed the space in a single breath and appeared at Yeon Hojeong’s flank.
“I remember.”
Clash-clash-clang!
In that brief instant, powerful shockwaves erupted from the colliding weapons.
Swaaaaaah!
Thin tree branches shook violently in the sudden gale.
Though it was not a full-power clash, it was already a battle between supreme masters who had transcended human limits. Even light exchanges carried shockwaves strong enough to damage the surroundings.
Gripping the shaft of the Mad Dragon Axe with both hands, Yeon Hojeong thrust its end toward Moyong Gun’s side.
Whoooosh!
Moyong Gun evaded like the wind and flicked his finger. A razor-sharp finger wind.
Thud!
The finger wind that slipped past the perfectly twisting Yeon Hojeong drilled a small hole into a nearby tree.
“The strategist told me. The reason you despise the Uisinhoe.”
Moyong Gun smiled.
“Did he now.”
“He did.”
Creeeeaaang!
If not for the constantly intersecting weapons, it would have looked like a relaxed conversation.
It was a spar between masters so skilled they could unleash their martial arts even from the realm of instinct. The depth and tenacity of their breathing defied imagination.
That was why such dialogue was possible even as they clashed fiercely.
“I dislike the Uisinhoe as well. For different reasons than yours.”
“They are nothing but trash beneath the heavens. For people whose very profession is healing others to form a faction and covet power is already an absurdity.”
“I agree completely. In fact, that is almost the entire reason I despise them.”
“On top of already viewing them with disgust, they dared to touch the Martial Alliance itself. Had I been the leader, I would have uprooted the Uisinhoe long ago.”
“I’m sure you would have.”
Swaaaah!
Yeon Hojeong, who had been skillfully wielding the Mad Dragon Axe, suddenly unleashed a leg technique.
A powerful short striking kick aimed at the upper body. Moyong Gun threw his head back as if expecting it.
Boom!
The kick that lashed the empty air like a whip caused the atmosphere to explode.
“To you, the Martial Alliance is a sacred land. To someone who wishes to become its master, those who dared touch that sacred land could never look good in your eyes.”
“You understand well. Though I don’t see why you’re bringing this up all of a sudden.”
Clang! Claaang! Boom!
Yeon Hojeong was forcefully pushed back. He had taken a direct hit from Moyong Gun’s palm strike.
Yet there was no damage. It was partly due to Yeon Hojeong’s superb ability to deflect force, but mostly because the power behind Moyong Gun’s strike had been deliberately light.
Yeon Hojeong lowered his stance once more.
“How did you come to be so obsessed with the Martial Alliance?”
“Ridiculous. Obtaining the Martial Alliance is no different from obtaining the world. For a man born into this life to aim for the world is the most natural thing.”
“The Martial Alliance is not the world. It is merely a part of it.”
“The largest part within it.”
“Are you confident you can face the Black Dragon Department?”
Srrk.
Moyong Gun, who had been about to attack, lowered his hand.
Staring at Yeon Hojeong with clear eyes, he eventually shook his head.
“If you are trying to probe that subject, stop. You have already concluded that I share some kind of relationship with Yang Cheon, have you not?”
“You see clearly.”
“Whatever the case, I have no desire to speak of it any further.”
“Is that so? Then how about this topic?”
“……?”
“The existence of an unknown organization that has infiltrated both the government and the imperial family. And that one of those unknown organizations supported Yang Cheon from the shadows and played a major role in establishing the Black Dragon Department.”
“……!!”
Moyong Gun’s eyes trembled violently.
In that instant, flame-like killing intent erupted from Yeon Hojeong’s body.
Booooom!
With an explosive roar, Yeon Hojeong charged forward and swung the Mad Dragon Axe with monstrous force.
Bang!
Moyong Gun staggered backward.
It did not end there. One strike became two, then three, then four. The speed of the continuous linked attacks was like lightning.
Bang! Rumble! Boooom!
With heavy explosions, Moyong Gun was driven back once more.
The shocking statement had disturbed his mind. Because of it, he had failed to respond properly to the sudden change in Yeon Hojeong’s momentum.
Even accounting for that, Yeon Hojeong’s power was overwhelming. The heavy, resilient shaft of the Mad Dragon Axe had visibly bent under the barrage. It was powerful enough to shatter even a steel fortress gate.
Sssssssss.
Red killing intent blazed like flames.
The Vermilion Bird qi pierces through the dust like rising flames. Within it dwells the white beast of madness bearing the Azure Dragon’s horns, the Vermilion Bird’s wings, and the Black Tortoise’s shell. A monster of Sasinilche that exists only for the kill.
“I don’t know how much these words will mean to you, but I will ask regardless. I hope you answer while staking the path you have walked and the entire history of the man called Moyong Gun.”
Whooooooosh.
The wind blew.
As the dust cleared, the revealed Yeon Hojeong glared at Moyong Gun with eyes filled with killing intent.
In his right hand he held the Mad Dragon Axe. In his left, the Flood Dragon Chain—now fully released—coiled like a living serpent.
He was in complete battle readiness.
“If you know anything about the Three Sects, confess it honestly. You know that lies will not work.”