Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 732

Whirr!

Though the killing intent had vanished, the oppressive aura emanating from Gok Gyeong intensified.

The unique, sharp glint in his eyes and the eerie energy that could mentally exhaust anyone nearby had disappeared.

What remained was a martial arts giant with a single, absolute conviction.

‘Impressive perception.’

Why was it? Perhaps it was because the atmosphere had changed, but even his tone seemed subtly different.

‘It doesn’t seem like a fact that could be hidden even if one tried. I thought that old man had raised a decent disciple, but it seems he was more than that.’

Gok Gyeong openly revealed himself.

In a situation where fierce mental battles and subtle maneuvering were essential, Gok Gyeong revealed himself honestly.

This wasn’t because he lacked ability. As he said, Yeon Ho-Jeong had already reached the answer, and any clumsy attempts to hide it wouldn’t be believed anyway.

However, Gok Gyeong was no ordinary man either.

‘You must be hiding something from me.’

‘…….’

‘The Tyrant King, Yang Cheon, is a man with great ambition, even more so than his skill. If he had raised a disciple like you, he would have either boasted about it everywhere or kept it a secret. Even if he revealed it, there’s no way he would dispatch you to a place that draws so much attention.’

‘…….’

‘But it doesn’t seem like you’re lying either, so what exactly is your identity…’

‘I am Yeon Ho-Jeong.’

‘……?!’

Thud!

Yeon Ho-Jeong planted his glaive into the ground and respectfully clasped his hands.

‘I am the eldest son of the Byeoksan Yeon family of Gangdong, the head of the Martial Alliance’s Righteous Army, and currently serving as a special adjutant of the Mukryong Unit’s Dragon Fang Iron Cavalry.’

Gok Gyeong’s mouth slightly opened.

‘The greatest rising star of the younger generation?’

‘It’s an embarrassing title.’

‘……I heard you wield an axe?’

‘An axe or a sword, they’re all the same.’

‘Crazy.’

Gok Gyeong clicked his tongue.

‘No wonder your temper and perception are extraordinary. But I’ve never heard of a tiger general opening the Limitless [a state of martial arts mastery].’

‘It was recent. There was no reason to announce it to the outside world.’

While speaking calmly, Yeon Ho-Jeong observed Gok Gyeong’s reaction.

Surprisingly, Gok Gyeong wasn’t very upset, even though his opponent had deceived him. Instead, he nodded as if he finally understood, and there seemed to be a hint of relief.

He seemed to prefer him over Yang Cheon’s disciple.

‘Is that natural?’

Gok Gyeong asked.

‘Were you selected as the person in charge of the Alliance’s alliance?’

‘Yes.’

‘Who else is there?’

‘Just me.’

‘Just you?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s incredible.’

It was natural for someone with outstanding abilities to be selected as the person in charge of the alliance. However, considering the divide between the White and Black Paths [referring to different factions within the martial world], it was only right that more than one person should be selected.

Yet, the fact that he was solely responsible meant that Yeon Ho-Jeong’s character and abilities commanded immense trust, regardless of whether it was the White or Black Path.

Gok Gyeong shook his head.

‘What on earth has happened since I left the martial world?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

‘He doesn’t know much.’

He knew the general situation of the current martial world, but he didn’t seem to be looking into the details.

That was to be expected. He was the Emperor’s man, not the Empress’s or the eunuch’s. If he had been working secretly under the Son of Heaven [a traditional title for the Emperor], he would have been very busy.

‘If there wasn’t a common enemy, I would have detained you first. But…’

‘…….’

‘There must be a reason why the Martial Alliance formed an alliance.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked.

‘Are you targeting the Three Teachings [a collective term for influential religious and martial sects]?’

Whoosh!

A fierce killing intent erupted from Gok Gyeong’s body. It wasn’t directed at Yeon Ho-Jeong, but at the Three Teachings.

‘It’s the Empire’s own fault that its power has weakened. And no matter how many laws there are, the world is still a place of the survival of the fittest. The Empire had many chances to suppress the power of the martial world. It was entirely the fault of the previous emperors that they missed those opportunities and indulged in pleasure, wasting the nation’s strength.’

Even though he called the ruler of the world the Son of Heaven, his criticism of the current Emperor’s ancestors was ruthless.

It was clear that Gok Gyeong was working only for the current Emperor, not the Empire.

‘Is it because he’s a martial artist himself?’

That much was unknown.

Gok Gyeong continued.

‘However, if it’s a power struggle within the continent, that’s one thing, but if it’s an invasion from foreign forces, that’s another matter. Ignorant fools bring in outside forces to gain an advantage in the immediate power struggle, but that’s like bringing in a tiger that has tasted human flesh to kill a fox.’

‘…….’

‘That’s what the current Imperial Palace is like. The problem is the lack of basic knowledge about the opponent. There are fools who are confident that they can catch a tiger as big as a mountain with bows and spears, even though they’re riding on its back. Even though the situation has become unbearable, they don’t even know if the thing they’re dealing with is a tiger or a cat.’

The one who brought in foreign forces was the eunuch, and the ignorant fools who couldn’t grasp the situation were the Empress.

Yeon Ho-Jeong opened his mouth.

‘But the eunuch was originally…’

‘The eunuch isn’t the problem. The person who brought in the eunuch is the problem.’

‘……?!’

‘The Crown Prince. That foolish man, who is designated as the next Emperor, gave excessive power to a eunuch from a heretical cult.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes wavered.

This was the first time he had heard about this.

‘So, it wasn’t that the eunuch had manipulated the Emperor from the beginning and taken over the Imperial Palace?’

Gok Gyeong shook his head.

‘The situation is complicated, but the result is the same. The eunuch and the Empress are both acting out of line. Considering the Imperial bloodline, the Empress is better, but what can she do with her lack of insight to see the opponent properly?’

‘…….’

‘And fundamentally, the real power of the Imperial Palace must return to His Majesty the Emperor. In the grand scheme of things, the Empress is also just a human who doesn’t know her place.’

It was a ruthless and direct criticism.

Gok Gyeong’s eyes gleamed.

‘What about you?’

‘…….’

‘The current Imperial Palace and the martial world, in fact, only share a few values and live in completely different worlds. However, if the Imperial Palace is infiltrated by foreign forces, the martial world will also be in trouble. Isn’t that why you’re concerned about the Imperial Palace?’

‘That’s right.’

There were many reasons, but that was the result. Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t bother to make excuses. There was no reason to.

Gok Gyeong chuckled.

‘I like that you’re honest. You’re presumptuous and rude, but I’m the same, so I’ll let it slide. What matters is what we do from now on.’

‘That’s right.’

‘I don’t trust you. But I trust your identity.’

‘…….’

‘At least for now, we can use each other.’

Just as Yeon Ho-Jeong had seen through Gok Gyeong.

Gok Gyeong was also seeing Yeon Ho-Jeong quite clearly. It was seeing the genuine moment, beyond ability.

It wouldn’t be easy to do that without absolute pride in one’s own skills.

‘The Shadow King…’

‘Let’s talk while we go. We’ve wasted too much time.’

‘Let’s do that.’

Whoosh!

The two increased their speed.

It was twice as fast as before, but surprisingly, those who were stealthily following them didn’t seem to be struggling at all. Their skills were incredible.

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked while running.

‘Then what about the Shadow King?’

Gok Gyeong’s eyes turned cold.

‘He wasn’t originally a Central Plains person [referring to the main region of the continent].’

‘……?!’

‘The Shadow King, Gongson Baekryong. His actual title is one of the high priests of the Blood Fiend Cult [a notorious and powerful evil sect]. I don’t know which high priest he is.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face hardened noticeably.

‘Do you know about the Blood Fiend Cult?’

‘Only a small part.’

‘Then that person was from the beginning…?!’

‘The Three Teachings have been carrying out all sorts of schemes for decades before invading the continent. But even with such schemes, they can’t catch up with the Central Plains’ intelligence capabilities.’

‘……!!’

‘The Shadow King used his absolute divine skill to capture all sorts of informants, causing confusion in our intelligence network, and conversely, he brought valuable information to the Three Teachings.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong exclaimed in that moment.

‘Why didn’t I think of that!’

The Three Teachings sometimes didn’t know what they should have known, and they knew things they shouldn’t have known like ghosts.

They had built their own intelligence system over decades, but this side had been operating the best intelligence unit for hundreds of years. No matter how skilled the Three Teachings were, how could they keep up with the Beggars’ Union’s [a large intelligence network] intelligence?

But they threw a master of lightness skill, the Shadow King, into the middle of the complex intelligence network like a spider web.

A speed that couldn’t be seen. A lightness skill that was on a different level, that no master of the Saintly Heaven [a martial arts sect] could catch up to.

With a divine skill that could be called the best, not just in this era but throughout history, he was shaking the Central Plains’ intelligence network and at the same time, taking away some of the valuable information.

That was why the Three Teachings’ reactions were so mixed up. That was the reason why they didn’t know what they should have known, or knew what they shouldn’t have known.

‘Then how many such masters does the Blood Fiend Cult have…?’

‘I don’t know exactly. But I don’t think there are any more. It’s not just a thought, it’s a conviction. If there were, they would have dispatched them all by now and devastated our intelligence network.’

It was a matter of efficiency. There were no more people on the Three Teachings’ side who could use a divine skill as extraordinary as the Shadow King.

That was why the Shadow King’s value was even more prominent.

‘Then the fact that the Shadow King has revealed himself now means that there is no more information to take from this side?’

‘That’s an overinterpretation. There are very few people who know that the Shadow King belongs to the Three Teachings.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner? If we had requested support…’

‘Are you stupid? They’re monitoring the Imperial Palace like a fortress. If we tried to send information to the Martial Alliance from here, they would have noticed it immediately.’

It had been a long time. It had been a long time since he had been called stupid by someone else.

‘But if we tried, there’s nothing we couldn’t do.’

‘What if there are spies from the Three Teachings within the Martial Alliance and the Mukryong Unit? Why would we take such a risk?’

He had been called stupid twice.

Perhaps it was because so much information had come in at once, but his head wasn’t working properly. Yeon Ho-Jeong pondered and organized his thoughts.

‘Enough with the chatter. Let’s catch the Shadow King’s underlings first.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

‘So that’s what you meant.’

‘Hmm?’

‘The sound of your subordinates killing people. That silent sonic boom, the people who died without even being able to scream, were they the ones the Shadow King was using?’

Gok Gyeong chuckled.

‘You managed to hear that from that far away. You’re definitely not ordinary either.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was about to ask a few more questions, gave up and closed his mouth.

He needed to organize the information he had received so far and calculate what to do in the future. It seemed like there was no more information to get even if he asked more.

Gok Gyeong, who had been quietly watching Yeon Ho-Jeong, said.

‘The Shadow King’s speed defies common sense. He’s not someone who would allow a head-on fight. If you help me, we can take out one of their eyes this time.’

‘…….’

‘If you’re determined to help…’

‘Damn it.’

A sudden curse.

Gok Gyeong frowned.

‘What’s wrong all of a sudden?’

‘No, let’s catch the Shadow King first.’

‘What is it?’

‘It’s nothing. Let’s deal with what’s in front of us first.’

Anxiety appeared on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

Gok Gyeong had said that it was dangerous to contact the Martial Alliance from the Imperial Palace.

If they tried, they could do it. But there was a risk.

And now.

The Empress had contacted the Martial Alliance, and in response, the Martial Alliance had sent three troubleshooters to the palace.

Was the Empress more cautious than Gok Gyeong’s group?

‘Father!’

The hand holding the glaive turned white.