Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1019

“Moyong Gun.”

His alias was Sword God. His position was the Martial Alliance Leader.

‘Tang Gwan.’

His alias was the Master of Ten Thousand Poisons. His position was the Vice Leader of the Martial Alliance.

In the life Yeon Ho-Jeong lived before his regression, these two became the highest leaders of the orthodox faction. They united the White Path to face the unprecedented threat of the Three Teachings, and then engaged in a great battle with them.

Before that war, most of the experts of the Thirteen Seats of Seongcheon had either died or disappeared.

The Fist God and the Sword Immortal were unknown. The Fist God likely died of natural causes, while the Sword Immortal was likely murdered by someone.

The Yin Demon, Ha Eun-Gyo, would have been defeated by the Yin Demon Sect even then. The Dao Master, Jongli Baek, did not come forward for reasons unknown, and rumors circulated that the Sword Emperor, Namgoong Seung, had also died.

The Bi King would have returned to the Blood Demon Sect, the Fighting King, Yang Cheon, died by his own hand, and the Dark King would have spent his last years without reconciling with Tang Gwan. The cases of the Spear King and the Curtain Origin were unknown.

What about the major martial clans?

In the past timeline, Namgoong Hyeon married Jeagal Ayeon. If Yeon Ho-Jeong hadn’t intervened in the regressed timeline, the Jeagal Clan would have lost more power due to the Namgoong Clan’s machinations, and Jeagal Ayeon would have eventually become a member of the Namgoong Clan.

The Peng Clan, responsible for the northern defenses, suffered near annihilation. Among the Nine Great Sects, the Common Faction, the Mount Hua Sect, and the Jongnam Sect also suffered critical damage.

The Emperor, unable to spread his wings, likely died in a secret war with the Divine Teachings or remained in hiding until the end. If the Emperor died, Gok Gyeong would have died as well, and if the Emperor hid, Gok Gyeong would have been by his side.

Thus, the world faced great chaos.

Many people died, many experts were born, and just as many experts were lost.

‘Truly, from a position of not knowing anything, there was no choice but to be defeated.’

The Divine Teachings took charge of the Imperial Palace, while the Blood Demon and Yin Demon Sects infiltrated various areas to weaken the martial world.

Because the Empire’s power had weakened significantly, one of the Three Teachings was enough for the Imperial Palace. However, as the martial world’s power had relatively increased, the Blood Demon and Yin Demon Sects each carried out their operations in their respective areas, aiming for complete victory.

Among them, the Blood Demon Sect mainly disrupted the White Path martial world, and also extended its influence to the Demonic Path martial world by claiming to be the legitimate successor of the Blood Sect.

The Yin Demon Sect mainly tried to disrupt the Black Path, and also sent spies to the White Path orthodox sects to steal various information and seize control of those areas.

The Divine Teachings mainly took charge of the Imperial Palace, but also dispatched martial artists to monitor the movements of the martial world or to assassinate experts classified as dangerous elements.

In this way, the Three Teachings fought in their own ways, while also complementing each other’s weaknesses, meticulously targeting the Central Plains.

Their movements were abnormal and unconventional, and at the same time, they chose rational means to win.

And so,

The land called the Central Plains was devastated.

The martial world, which could not unite, could not be united.

Similarly, the Three Teachings, which could not unite but could not be completely separated, began to destroy it from the roots.

However.

‘I fell into such a world.’

A war that he could not withstand during his time as the Dark Emperor, a war he had no choice but to lose.

But Yeon Ho-Jeong had returned to the past.

Having experienced a war that he could not even jokingly say he had a chance of winning, he worked to dismantle the Nine Great Clans and normalize the Martial Alliance to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. He also crushed the lackeys of the Three Teachings who tried to seize control of various areas and capture spies.

The world had changed.

The history had changed.

According to the original history, the Three Teachings should not have revealed their true forms yet. The Central Plains martial world should have appeared intact on the surface, but rotten to the core on the inside.

Now, the Central Plains, their homeland, had earned the right to fight on equal terms with the Three Teachings. Because history had changed.

However, but.

“…There is such a thing as an irreversible flow of fate.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong rose from his seat.

Hong Ik-Cheon asked with a smile.

“Are you leaving?”

“I do not pity you.”

“I did not expect you to.”

“I do not pity you because I do not know what pity is. If I knew what sorrow was, if I knew what mercy was, I would have pitied you with all my heart.”

“……!”

“Even I, who ran forward like a fool, now know how to look back at people. Leaving aside the actions you have committed, I can pity you because I can guess your past. I think you are someone who can be pitied.”

“……”

“But I will not pity your past. Because even if I did, I would not be able to convey my feelings.”

Hong Ik-Cheon’s face hardened.

He probably didn’t even realize that his face had hardened.

“How can I care when emotional exchange is impossible? Even for an attachment to a mere object, there must be a history with me to give it my heart.”

“……”

“Our relationship ends here.”

It was a statement to Hong Ik-Cheon, and at the same time, a statement to himself.

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his body. With those words, he was truly able to sever the chains of fate.

It was then.

“You said you could guess my past.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had stopped walking, turned to look at Hong Ik-Cheon.

Hong Ik-Cheon asked.

“What is my past that you are guessing?”

“You were nothing.”

“……?!”

“You were nothing to everyone around you. You were just a sword to be used when needed.”

“……”

“Moreover, since that sword was not used many times, the title of Four Kings is meaningless.”

Now Yeon Ho-Jeong could understand.

Hong Ik-Cheon, or rather, Ham Mu-Heon, was a person with deep loneliness, though he himself did not realize it.

There were not many people who could understand that loneliness. The reason why Yeon Ho-Jeong and the other Five Great Generals could be with him was not because they were special, but because they were also people who were nothing.

Even then, they could not stay together until the end. If Hong Ik-Cheon remained unchanged, there would be no reason to keep him around.

To try to understand him with all his heart?

That’s nonsense.

If there is such a thing as an unchanging bond, then there is also such a thing as an irreversible catastrophe.

Yeon Ho-Jeong had no desire to turn back the heart of Hong Ik-Cheon in this era, whom he considered a waste.

“…As you said.”

Hong Ik-Cheon’s voice was somehow subdued.

“If that novel-like history were real, I think I would have had some fun living in it.”

“Even if there were a chance to change it, I would not change it for you alone.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“To me, you are not worth exchanging for this world.”

With those words, Yeon Ho-Jeong and Jeagal Ayeon left the prison.

Hong Ik-Cheon, left alone, remained still with his head bowed for a long time.

No one would know what he was thinking, what ‘mood’ he was feeling.

* * *

Jeagal Ayeon, who came out of the prison, opened her mouth.

“It was amazing.”

“What was?”

“That… the imaginary story you told.”

“……”

“It felt quite real, as if you had actually experienced it.”

“I’ve heard a lot that I’ve had a rich imagination since I was young.”

It was a joke, but Jeagal Ayeon couldn’t laugh.

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“You can ask two.”

“Why are you so concerned about that person?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong stopped walking.

He didn’t bother to hide the feelings he had for Hong Ik-Cheon while talking to him. Someone as perceptive as Jeagal Ayeon would have noticed it.

“It’s like you’re treating him not as an enemy, but as someone you’ve known for a long time.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong gave a wry smile.

“It’s a waste. That ability.”

“A waste? It was chilling. Even if it’s not some kind of sorcery or demonic art, the fact that you can manipulate someone’s mind is amazing even now.”

“Even a talent that doesn’t seem great can blossom into a unique talent in the world if you understand its essence and refine it. As long as the means of communication exists for people, such guys will constantly appear.”

“…I see.”

Jeagal Ayeon, who had been nodding, looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong with a tense expression.

“But is that true?”

“……”

“That you’re going to officially sever the alliance between the Black and White factions, is that true?”

“That’s impossible.”

“Right?”

Jeagal Ayeon’s face brightened.

Yeon Ho-Jeong continued.

“Officially, it’s impossible to sever it. Breaking an alliance is not that easy. The Black and White, who have hated each other for hundreds of years, formed a historic alliance to face a great enemy. It’s not a problem that can be unilaterally broken.”

Jeagal Ayeon’s face, which had brightened, hardened again.

“Then?”

“Hong Ik-Cheon’s plan succeeded.”

“……?!”

“He’s a guy who finds pleasure in observing, manipulating, and leading people to the results he wants. But that’s just his personal tendency. The driving force behind that guy is the orders from above.”

“……!!”

“The Yin Demon Sect, or rather, the Three Teachings, couldn’t have just watched the alliance between the Black and White. In reality, they are like oil and water that don’t mix well, but those guys can’t see our situation clearly. They only think based on the results they see. So, they have no choice but to do their best to split the Black and White as soon as possible.”

“If that’s what they want, then we should unite even more.”

“No, they’ve already won the fight. Or rather, they didn’t even need to try to win.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked up at the sky.

“The suppressed anti-Black faction was too extreme, but there are still many people like that in the Martial Alliance. There is a thought of uniting for the war, but there are not many people who would risk their lives for just one war.”

“No. If you look, the reality is…”

“Even if there are more than we think, they can’t eliminate the hatred for the Black Path from the roots.”

“……”

“It would be better if we could say when the war would break out, then we could at least gather our minds. But as long as we can’t confirm the date of the war, the dissatisfaction with the Black Path will slowly rise again over time.”

Jeagal Ayeon said in a subdued voice.

“If that’s the case, the same goes for the Black Path. How much hatred and animosity would they have towards the White Path? But the Black Path is not as extreme as the Martial Alliance…”

“To be precise, it’s not the Black Path, but the Black Dragon Unit. The Black Dragon Unit is ruled under the control of the outstanding figure called the Fighting King. Since the leader with absolute power has made a decision, there will be no immediate complaints unless there is a generational change.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.

“And that’s the essence of the Black Path. Even if they fought to the death yesterday, they can laugh and talk today. If there is a common goal.”

“……”

“That’s why they are called beasts, and they are said to have no backbone. That is true, but at the same time, it is also the driving force that has allowed the Black Path to endure until now.”

“…What are you going to do?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who opened his eyes again, smiled.

It wasn’t a wry smile, but it looked sad, and somehow relieved, but also frustrated.

“When they are apart, they can control their minds, but when they face each other, their insides boil over. That’s the relationship between the Black and White. I took that too lightly.”

“……”

“I have to leave the Martial Alliance. Before the war ends.”