Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1023

“What did you say?” Gang Ryang asked, startled.

“You’re saying you’re leaving the Martial Alliance altogether?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong silently sipped his drink.

Beom Oh, having seen and heard the situation unfold, wasn’t surprised. Sama Hyeon, on the other hand, looked rather relieved, thinking it wasn’t such a bad idea.

Jin Yang also showed no surprise, calmly taking a drink.

Gang Ryang asked Jin Yang,

“Did you know about this, 형님 [hyungnim – older brother or respected male figure]?”

“I guessed.”

“How?”

“Well, I’m not as sharp as the Captain. It was just a feeling.”

“What kind of feeling…”

“I just felt something was off.”

Jin Yang put down his cup, his face unusually serious.

“Black and white can’t be combined. At least, not now. There’s a deep-rooted hatred and anger between them, going back hundreds, maybe even thousands of years.”

“I know that much.”

“No, you don’t. None of you here can truly know. You just vaguely think you do. The depth of it is something only someone who has lived for a thousand years would understand.”

It was rare to see Jin Yang so serious.

Gang Ryang’s mouth involuntarily closed.

“Positive emotions can turn negative in an instant. That’s how relationships are. But for negative emotions to turn positive, it takes a long time. There’s a thousand-year gap between black and white. It’s not a gap that can be easily bridged just because a formidable enemy appears.”

Jin Yang, who possessed innate talent but yearned to be with everyone.

His life, having been ostracized for his appearance and growing up with a dark heart for many years, was desolate and messy.

Yet, even then, he never crossed the line, and upon meeting new people, he began to unlock his potential.

At least, no one here failed to understand the bright and dark sides of humanity. But Jin Yang was the one who established a Black Faction and directly or indirectly opposed the White Faction.

Only someone like Yeon Ho-Jeong could keep up with Jin Yang’s enlightenment.

That’s why Jin Yang’s words carried such strong persuasion.

“Actually, I think it’s amazing that the gap has been narrowed this much. That shows how powerful the Three Teachings are. But a sloppy alliance can lead to fatal conflicts. The Captain’s decision to leave the Martial Alliance is extremely rational.”

Jin Yang chuckled.

“That’s why our Hwa Ung Clan never wanted to get involved with the White Faction. Though we messed it up because of the Beggars’ Sect.”

Gang Ryang looked at Jin Yang with fresh eyes.

Although there were times when he was content with the status quo and spent his days playing around, a leader who had run an organization was definitely different.

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“Jin Yang is right. I took the gap between black and white too lightly.”

“But…”

Gang Ryang asked seriously,

“You’re not thinking of breaking the alliance, are you?”

“That’s impossible. Even if we were to break it, it’s not something I can decide on my own. It’s an issue that needs to be carefully decided through a meeting of each organization’s leaders.”

“That’s right.”

“However, nothing much has changed so far. There have only been abstract agreements, like simple cooperation and not infringing on each other’s territories.”

Sama Hyeon said bluntly,

“What were the leaders of the biggest organization in the martial world doing, not even checking on that?”

“You’re telling me.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled wryly.

“We trusted each other too much, and everyone was too busy.”

“Still, the leaders shouldn’t have been like that.”

“You’re right.”

He admitted it so plainly that Sama Hyeon had nothing to say.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Sama Hyeon with a puzzled expression.

“By the way, did you finish everything up before coming here?”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘finished’.”

Sama Hyeon put down his cup and said,

“I do have a unit under my command.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve never killed a civilian or taken a request.”

“Hmm. That must have cost a lot of money.”

“I had quite a bit of money left over from killing my enemies and secretly embezzling funds. Enough to train and live for the next twenty years.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly watching Sama Hyeon, smiled.

“Are you thinking of joining us?”

“I don’t know.”

The answer was immediate.

Given his personality, he would have hesitated, but the answer came out more easily than expected. Yeon Ho-Jeong saw a positive possibility in that attitude.

“Honestly, we’re just a bunch of guys who can only kill people. But we can’t just sit around for twenty years, so we need to do something. I haven’t decided what to do yet.”

“You’re not going to join the Three Teachings?”

It was a joke, but Sama Hyeon’s reaction was serious.

“I’d rather kill myself than join the Three Teachings.”

His master and enemy were from the Evil Sound Sect.

For Sama Hyeon, there was no way he could switch to the Three Teachings, even if he were to be killed.

“What about the personnel records of your members?”

Only then did Sama Hyeon hesitate.

Yeon Ho-Jeong tilted his head.

“Why? Are they criminals or something? If that’s the case, it doesn’t matter. As long as their minds are right…”

“They’re orphans.”

“…”

“I took in kids who had nowhere to go and raised them. Though not many wanted to come.”

If someone else had said they were raising orphans, he would have openly questioned it.

However, Yeon Ho-Jeong could tell from Sama Hyeon’s expression that the orphans he had taken in were truly children with nowhere to go.

And that Sama Hyeon saw himself in those children.

“The other leaders are the ones who joined hands with me during the Guangdong incident.”

“How many in total?”

“Three hundred and ten, including the trainees.”

Three hundred and ten.

It was a small number, but also a large one.

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked seriously,

“You know what it means to put a sword in the hands of children, don’t you?”

“That’s why I only accepted the ones who wanted to. I gave some money to those who didn’t want to join and sent them away.”

“Are you planning to raise them as warriors?”

Sama Hyeon sighed and confessed,

“Honestly, I didn’t plan to raise them as assassins. I just wanted them not to get beaten up wherever they went. But as they say, old habits die hard, and before I knew it, I was teaching them how to kill.”

“I see.”

“They’ve never been in a real fight. I didn’t have time to teach them any secret techniques, so they just know some practical swordsmanship.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“Are you thinking of releasing the children into the world?”

“If they want to.”

Has Sama Hyeon changed a lot?

Yes, he has changed a lot.

But his nature hasn’t changed. Sama Hyeon was this kind of person from the start. He was an assassin with innate talent, but he didn’t kill just anyone, and he didn’t mistreat orphans without parents.

“Well, with Beom Oh Monk by your side, you wouldn’t have done anything shady.”

Beom Oh smiled and said,

“From observing the benefactor, I’ve seen his great affection and faith in the children. He treated them almost like his own children.”

“My own children, please.”

He said that, but Sama Hyeon looked embarrassed as he cleared his throat and filled his empty cup. It was a good sight to see.

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked directly,

“Will you join us?”

Sama Hyeon’s hand, which was filling his cup, stopped.

Sama Hyeon raised his head and looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong, his face once again serious.

“Will you fight on the front lines against the Three Teachings?”

“War is unpredictable, but I’ve always fought that way. And…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Jin Yang and Gang Ryang.

“My comrades have always done the same.”

“Then.”

Sama Hyeon nodded.

“I will join you.”

It was a simpler and more refreshing answer than expected.

In fact, he had already decided to join Yeon Ho-Jeong when the situation arose. He didn’t have time to say it when he joined the alliance because things were complicated, but once he made up his mind, he didn’t need any complicated procedures.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“I look forward to working with you as well.”

They were two people who had a connection from the beginning.

Even before the regression, they knew each other, and after the regression, they avenged their enemies together with the strongest assassin who would later compete for the title of the best in the world.

The thread of fate can be broken at any time. But when one thread is broken, another thread is connected. That’s what fate is.

As if it was their destiny to be connected from the start.

Sama Hyeon entrusted himself to the path of blood that the Black Demon Emperor of the past and the Overlord of the present would walk.

* * *

Two days later.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, having entered a small building behind the plaza, right in front of the Alliance Leader’s residence, was fully dressed in his attire.

Was he trying to prove his identity through his clothing? His appearance, clad in black martial attire and a black robe, was like that of someone about to go to war.

The Black and White Twin Dragon Blades were firmly fixed on his left and right hips, and the Coiling Dragon Chain, now as familiar as a part of his body, was wrapped around his martial attire, acting like armor.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, having even taken a clean bath, was truly dazzling. He was not lacking as a small master of an organization. Rather, even at his young age, he exuded a strong dignity and restrained aura, enough to make him look like the leader of a large organization.

He quietly stared out the window for a long time.

“Yeonje [a respectful way to address a younger person].”

Moyong Woo had entered the room unnoticed.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Yes.”

Moyong Woo sighed and said,

“It seems you’re all prepared.”

“Indeed.”

“Let me ask you just one thing.”

Moyong Woo said with a dark face,

“As long as the alliance isn’t broken, black and white are not enemies until the war with the Three Teachings is over. Right?”

“Of course.”

“Then, there’s no reason for you to leave the Martial Alliance.”

It wasn’t just a plea to stay.

Regret was regret, and reality was reality. Moyong Woo’s question contained the question of how much of an aftershock this situation would cause.

Yeon Ho-Jeong liked Moyong Woo like this.

Moyong Woo was much more eager to learn than when they first met. They had joined hands for a single goal, but the relationship between the two had developed into a personal one, so deep that it could be considered a bond of loyalty.

It wouldn’t be easy to show such an attitude of trying to learn even from his younger brother.

Yeon Ho-Jeong said calmly,

“It seems like I’m being pushed out, but in reality, the incident was ignited by a spy’s manipulation of public opinion, and after that, everything was handled correctly and calmed down.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“From the moment public opinion was manipulated, we were already bound to reach the result the spy wanted. If I stay in the Martial Alliance after this incident, the atmosphere of the White Faction will become very chaotic.”

“The higher-ups can correct that. It won’t be easy, but they can.”

“Now is not the time to worry about that. It’s time to gather more strongly and show a stronger organizational power. The war is near.”

“…”

“If I stay here, there will be many righteous people who will bow their heads and feel defeated. Furthermore, time tends to offer forgetfulness. This kind of thing could happen again.”

“But…”

“At the same time, this incident will also be forgotten soon. With the Alliance Leader and the Military Advisor’s abilities, it will be possible to use this incident as a stepping stone to make the Martial Alliance truly one.”

“So that’s why you’re leaving?”

“That’s the biggest reason. Also, since my master is in the Imperial Palace, the Black Faction is likely to have become lax. It would be good to fix that and leave.”

Moyong Woo nodded heavily.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and lightly massaged his shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

“I’ll guide you.”

“Alright.”

And so, the two of them left the building.

Beyond the building, in the central plaza, countless warriors were gathered.