Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 960

“……!”

The young man’s eyes showed a flicker of surprise at the Emperor’s words.

It wasn’t an emotional outburst. Rather, he seemed to find a spark of interest in what the Emperor had said.

On the other hand, the morale of the thousand troops, except for him, shifted dramatically.

Whooong!

Intense heat radiated outwards.

The dust on the ground swirled and scattered in circles. The sight of him dispersing the dust with just his energy, without even touching it, was both mysterious and menacing.

Meanwhile, smiles spread across the faces of the warriors stationed within the walls and gates.

The Emperor, whom they had rarely seen in person, had come directly to confront the invaders, who possessed martial arts that seemed almost divine, and was speaking to them as if he were scolding them.

This situation was incredibly satisfying to them. They were filled with a strong conviction that they could win any battle as long as they were with the Emperor.

“You’ve arrived at a good time.”

The young man smiled.

His eyes, deeply set beneath his brows, his clear blue pupils, and the shadows on his eyelids, were captivating and unnerving to those who looked at him.

“It was worth the long journey. I heard that you were indulging in luxury and pleasure, neglecting state affairs, squandering your innate talent, and that both your body and mind were exhausted, but as expected, seeing it directly and hearing about it are two different things.”

The Emperor silently stared at the young man for a moment.

How much time had passed?

“There is one thing I am curious about.”

The young man tilted his head at the Emperor’s words.

“Curious?”

“Was it you who sent Eunuch Woo Heon?”

Gok Gyeong glanced at the Emperor.

That treacherous villain, who deserved to be torn to pieces, was from the Divine Flame Church. Naturally, he would be a spy sent directly by the Divine Flame Church leader, so why was the Emperor asking such a question?

Surprisingly, the young man’s answer was completely different from Gok Gyeong’s expectations.

“Who is Eunuch Woo Heon?”

The Emperor’s eyes deepened.

“So, he wasn’t sent by you. Just as I suspected.”

Gok Gyeong was inwardly startled.

‘You suspected it?’

It was an act of attempting to overthrow the Emperor of the world.

No matter how powerful the Divine Flame Church was, they wouldn’t have made such a decision without the Church leader’s involvement. Even if the decision was made at a lower level, they would have constantly received reports about it.

Yet, the young man, who was presumed to be the leader of the Divine Flame Church, did not know who Eunuch Woo Heon was, and the Emperor had suspected that the person who sent the spy was not the leader of the Divine Flame Church.

‘How?’

The young man seemed to have the same question.

“How did you suspect that?”

“Do you want a conversation? Or do you want a fight?”

“…….”

“If you wanted a conversation, as I said, you could have just sent a letter.”

A fight.

It was a simple word, but when the word ‘fight’ came out of the Emperor’s mouth, the current situation somehow felt very trivial.

The young man chuckled.

“Are you saying we should skip the unnecessary conversation and get to the point?”

“I’m telling you to make your intentions clear. As you said, didn’t you come a long way?”

“That’s right.”

“I heard you wanted to see me. Instead of sending a letter, you came directly, and you sought me out first without engaging in combat. It seems like you have something to say while looking at me directly.”

“…….”

“Am I right?”

The young man, who had been staring up at the Emperor, slowly closed his eyes.

The young man closed his eyes without saying a word. Although there was no answer, the Emperor could tell that he was organizing his thoughts.

After a while.

“Step back.”

At the young man’s words, the thousand followers who had been lined up parted to the left and right, and then prostrated themselves on the ground.

It was a very natural sight. Piety was evident in their actions. It was as if they were facing a god, not just the leader of a religion.

The followers, who had shown their respect by prostrating themselves, stood up and retreated with a respectful posture.

‘Impressive.’

Geum Heon-tae’s face slightly hardened.

‘They are properly trained. They are not just foolish people who have been possessed by a cult. Before being a fanatical cult, they are clearly elites who have been thoroughly trained to rival the imperial army.’

The thousand troops had retreated a full hundred paces in that short time.

The porters carrying the palanquin and the warriors holding the flags remained as they were, but it was hard to say that their will to fight was alive just because they were there.

The young man looked at the Emperor and said,

“Come down.”

Geum Heon-tae’s face contorted.

“That impudent…”

That was the moment.

Flash!

A streak of light flashed from the young man’s finger, and before they knew it, a small hole had been made in the wall.

Clang. Thud!

Geum Heon-tae’s eyes widened in shock.

A small ray of light had passed by, and his belt, which he was wearing, loosened and fell to the ground. Naturally, the general’s sword, which was hanging on the belt, also tumbled to the floor.

It was a terrifying martial art.

It had precisely removed only the string of the belt that Geum Heon-tae was wearing. And Geum Heon-tae only realized the enemy’s attack at the moment when that hot and cool light pierced through the wall and removed the string of his belt.

‘This can’t be.’

A martial art that transcended imagination.

It was a light move, but it was a martial art that uprooted the will to fight from its very foundation.

If that light had flown towards his chest or forehead, Geum Heon-tae would have died on the spot. A master who was evaluated to have martial arts above the level of the leaders of the Nine Great Sects could die without even being able to move a finger.

Whooooooosh!

The wind that blew felt particularly cold.

The young man did not even look at Geum Heon-tae. Although it was a long distance, everyone could tell.

“Come down.”

The young man repeated the same words once more.

The Emperor, who had been staring at the young man for a while, smiled and said,

“Have a comfortable chair placed ten paces in front of that person.”

“Your Majesty!”

Geum Heon-tae knelt down.

“That is not acceptable! The leader of the cult is the possessor of amazing martial arts, and there is a risk to Your Majesty’s precious body…”

Gok Gyeong interrupted Geum Heon-tae’s words.

“Defense Captain.”

“……?!”

“Are you going to refuse His Majesty’s order?”

Geum Heon-tae looked up at Gok Gyeong in surprise.

Gok Gyeong said in a cold voice,

“The enemy is watching. Do not dare to damage the dignity of His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Guard Gok!”

“I will be by His Majesty’s side.”

As the head of the Imperial Palace Guard, it was something that should never be tolerated.

But.

“……I obey the order.”

If the Emperor said to do it, then it had to be done.

Of course, there are moments when the Emperor’s orders are ignored. This is one of those moments.

However, after seeing the Emperor’s eyes, Geum Heon-tae could not dare to utter the words that it was absolutely not allowed.

After a while.

Sarak.

The soldiers who had been lined up inside the broken gate parted to the left and right.

A chair, not as grand as the Emperor’s throne, but quite large and luxurious, was placed ten paces in front of the young man.

The Emperor walked over and sat comfortably in the chair. And Gok Gyeong stood guard directly behind the Emperor.

The young man smiled and said,

“Your courage is impressive.”

“If you want to be the master of a country, this level of courage is a basic requirement.”

“Even if you become a fool who doesn’t see the place where you will die and lies down?”

“Did you call me to a place where I will die?”

The young man, who had been looking at the Emperor with a smile, suddenly looked at Gok Gyeong.

Gok Gyeong was looking at the young man with clear eyes, with his hands behind his back.

He did not blink an eye, and there was no change in his expression. However, the fighting spirit that filled his entire body was sharpened to the point where it could react at any moment.

Admiration arose on the young man’s face.

“He’s a great warrior. Although he’s not as good as our Church’s Vice-Leader, he could put up a good fight against the Guardian Deity. So, there were people in the Imperial Palace after all.”

From the young man’s perspective, it was a compliment, but from Gok Gyeong’s perspective, it could be an insult.

Even so, Gok Gyeong’s expression remained unchanged. His mind was also unwavering.

The young man looked at the Emperor again and said,

“There’s no way you could have raised a warrior like that in the Imperial Palace. Was he a warrior from the Jianghu [the martial arts world]?”

The Emperor’s eyes deepened.

If he was someone like the leader of the Divine Flame Church, he would have to be quite knowledgeable about the situation in the Central Plains.

Moreover, if Gok Gyeong was a master who could not be guaranteed to win, it would not be difficult to read the opponent’s energy and identify their identity.

Yet, the opponent did not even know Gok Gyeong’s identity.

The Emperor asked,

“There’s no need to confirm it again, but are you the leader of the Divine Flame Church?”

The young man nodded.

“I am called Gi Cheon-ung. I am the one who governs the Divine Flame Church of this era.”

“The surname is Yu (劉), the given name is Heum (欽).”

“Yu Heum.”

“I am the Emperor of the current Empire.”

Even without straightening his back to assume a dignified posture or lowering his voice.

Even in front of a monstrous beast who could kill him in an instant, the Emperor’s presence, who confidently stated his name and claimed to be the master of a country, was no less than Gi Cheon-ung’s.

Admiration finally appeared on Gi Cheon-ung’s face.

“Amazing. You are a mortal with no martial arts, yet what is this aura?”

“…….”

“It is said that the conquerors of an era are born that way. You have the audacity to claim to be the master of the vast continent. I have never seen anyone like you anywhere.”

Saeoe Samgyo [Uncommon praise].

Uncommon praise comes from the mouth of the leader of the Divine Flame Church, who is in charge of one of its factions.

Even in the eyes of a great giant who could reach the pinnacle of the world with martial arts alone, the Emperor’s figure seemed to be truly extraordinary.

“But aren’t you being too careless?”

That was the moment.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

In the center of the wall, a huge stone wall slid back, and a black cannon barrel appeared in front of it.

There were as many as fifty of them. Fifty cannons were aimed at the Divine Flame Church’s troops, who had retreated a hundred paces away.

“Since I was young, I have had many interests in various fields, and before I went astray, I dabbled in various things. Among them, administration was first, and the military field was second.”

“…….”

“Those cannons are new models that I and the greatest generals have created together. They were completed just three months ago.”

“Cannons… that’s a brutal display.”

“They are monsters with four times the power of existing cannons and are even capable of continuous firing. If there were masters like you nearby, it might be different, but since you are so far away, who could possibly stop them?”

Gi Cheon-ung smiled with a sneer.

“In terms of firepower, there has never been an organization in the current era, or even in the past, that could compare to our Church. If we wanted to, those things wouldn’t even get a chance to be used.”

“Why? Do you want to try it out?”

“…….”

“If you called me here just to make such a petty provocation, then this is truly unpleasant. If you were only that much of a vessel, I wouldn’t have even bothered to walk here myself.”

Gi Cheon-ung’s face slightly hardened.

The Emperor tapped the armrest with his finger.

“From this moment on, if you lose the dignity to face me even once, the trouble you took to come this long way will be paid for with your blood, so do not disturb your own dignity with useless nonsense.”

“…….”

“Speak. Why did you want to see me directly?”

“I had no choice.”

A smile returned to Gi Cheon-ung’s face.

It was not an expression mixed with a certain amount of playfulness, intended to test the opponent.

He had now fully understood the Emperor’s aura and high dignity. Gi Cheon-ung’s smile was a smile that came from the heart.

“I had to see and confirm what kind of person you are to see if it would be okay for our Church to advance into the Central Plains.”

The Emperor’s eyes widened slightly.

“Advance into the Central Plains?”

“That’s right.”

Gi Cheon-ung slowly emptied the glass in his hand and said,

“If you, the Emperor, acknowledge us, it will be much easier for us to advance into the Central Plains.”