Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1074

“Hoo… Hoo…”

Rough breaths exhaled hot air.

How long had it been? Since he had fought so hard that his breathing was ragged.

‘Indeed.’

Indeed, it was.

Putting aside everything else, he couldn’t help but be in awe of this absolute martial art.

As a child, he had followed it as if it were the whole world, and as a young man, he had even mistaken it for a god.

When he was designated as the successor in his later years, the god became an ordinary father.

And when his life as a successor passed ten years, his father became a frustrating and foolish man.

When that foolish man entered seclusion, ‘he’ could no longer bear it.

He knew it was poisoned wine. But if he didn’t drink this wine, he felt like he would live forever in this place, staring at the desolate land.

If he was going to sit on the divine throne anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to bring the time forward?

Didn’t he already have enough qualifications? Although he was slightly lacking in martial arts compared to that foolish man, considering his age, his potential for growth was limitless.

‘He’ was confident. He was confident that he could defeat both the foolish man and the venomous snake who offered the poisoned cup, and become the sun, looking down upon the world.

Even that blood-red dragon, who was holed up in a distant cave doing strange things, he was confident that he could surely bring down if he spent the time.

Confidence turned into pride, and pride turned into arrogance.

Yes. ‘He’ was aware that he was being arrogant.

But he couldn’t stop. No, there was no reason to stop. The arrogance he felt was justified. Even the venomous snake, who had sown so many seeds, had said that he had never seen a genius as great as himself.

If the evaluation of an absolute being with the power to dominate the world was like that, it would be stranger not to be arrogant. Rather, being moderately arrogant would make the process of ruling the world less boring.

‘He’ thought so.

And that arrogance was shattered in front of another sun that emerged from seclusion.

“Uweeek!”

The sun, spitting blood, the frustrating and foolish man, his father, the god, the world, was glaring at him.

“Are you truly determined to drag the name of the Divine into the mud!”

It was a terrifying roar.

The enormous power that was being emitted. The voice filled with that power seemed like it would dislocate even his bones.

‘He’ felt fear for the first time.

The martial power of the cult leader, whose upper dantian [an energy center in the body] had been shattered by a demonic intrusion during his training, was so overwhelming that even ‘he’, who had reached the realm of heavenly transformation, felt dwarfed.

How could a person become so strong?

What kind of training did he do to unleash such unbelievable power?

Did I even… properly see that person?

‘He’ was terrified. And he felt an immense sense of self-loathing at the fact that he was terrified.

He was just a being who had sown the seeds, that man was nothing compared to him. He was just one of the common cult leaders. Compared to himself, who would later dominate the world and become the one and only god, he was just a pathetic and timid fool.

“It is said that even a dog that is raised does not bite its owner! You, who are worse than a dog! Were you so greedy for the position of cult leader!”

‘He’ could no longer bear it.

That man’s words, his voice, constantly evoked fear. ‘He’ wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

“Why won’t you die!”

That one word, shouted out in a fit, was filled with fear and hatred.

And that one word became a more deadly dagger than any martial art, piercing the cult leader’s heart.

“Why won’t you die? Why are you still alive! You have to die for me to become the master of the world! If you were going to live so long, you should have passed on the position and retreated to the back room long ago!”

A look of despair appeared on the cult leader’s face.

An indescribable emotion was contained in that face. Seeing that face, ‘he’ felt the fear that had been growing in size shrink in an instant.

He had shocked him in some way. That meant that he was also human.

He could win. He could overcome him.

He could kill him.

“The times do not want you! The followers followed me because they wanted me! The remnants of the past, which are not even relics, should be burned and disappear right now!”

“…You!”

“I will kill you! I will!”

Blue flames soared from ‘his’ body.

As the fear subsided, anger filled its place. The immense anger squeezed his heart, generating an even stronger fire energy.

An overwhelming firepower that could burn down the entire palace. ‘He’ had never imagined that he had this much potential hidden within him.

‘Indeed!’

He felt a thrill at the talent he didn’t even know he had.

That power perfectly justified the words rebellion, treason, and patricide. Because he had this much power, because he had this much talent, he was doing this.

This was the act that was in accordance with the heavenly way!

“You bastard!”

“Die!”

‘He’ rushed at the cult leader.

At that moment, ‘he’ could see it.

The sorrow and regret that appeared in the cult leader’s eyes, distorted by anger.

And that his own burning true energy was based on the cult leader’s fire essence.

Flash!

Light exploded.

* * *

“…Lord.”

A faint voice reached his ears.

Ki Woo-hwan, who had fallen asleep with his chin resting on his hand, opened his eyes.

“Cult Leader.”

A low voice echoed in the grand hall.

The Second Fire King bowed his head.

“I apologize for disturbing your rest.”

“What is it?”

His voice clearly revealed his discomfort.

Only Ki Woo-hwan would know whether it was because he had woken up from sleep or because of an unpleasant dream.

“There is a report that the cult’s forces have reached the doorstep of Liaoning.”

Ki Woo-hwan’s eyes flashed.

“They are fast.”

“Yes, they are.”

“I told them to move while avoiding the eyes of those around them, but haven’t they advanced too quickly?”

“Do not worry. They moved under the cover of night, and the Third Fire King and the warriors are with them.”

“Hmm.”

Ki Woo-hwan frowned.

Just by the change in his expression, the temperature inside the grand hall seemed to rise sharply.

“I heard that the mainlanders’ intelligence is quite impressive. Are you sure they haven’t been caught?”

“I cannot be certain, but Liaoning and Jilin are places where their eyes hardly reach. Furthermore, the Third Fire King’s abilities are outstanding, so I believe you do not need to worry, Cult Leader.”

“It’s okay if they are caught.”

“Pardon?”

“It doesn’t matter if they are caught.”

He had ordered them to advance without being detected by anyone, but now he was saying it didn’t matter if they were caught?

The Second Fire King tilted his head.

Ki Woo-hwan leaned back in his grand chair.

‘They will move well on their own.’

He also knew that he had been somewhat hasty.

But no matter how he thought about it, it was advantageous for the side that advanced first in this war. Moreover, as time passed, the mainlanders would establish solid defenses.

‘Black Emperor Castle, was it?’

He had heard that the Black Alliance had changed its master and that its name had also changed from the Mookryong Faction to the Black Emperor Castle.

According to reports from various places, what was truly frightening about the Black Emperor Castle was not its martial power but its intelligence. In particular, the underworld martial world had a particularly well-developed intelligence unit for survival.

However, the Black Emperor Castle was located in the lower-middle part of the mainland, and no matter how much effort they put into their intelligence unit, they would not be able to see the border areas as well as the central part of the mainland.

Moreover, if the master had changed, they would try to completely dismantle the existing system and operate the organization according to their own methods.

That was natural. In history, when a new king, a new emperor, or a new cult leader took office, they always replaced the existing forces and reorganized the organization with their own politics.

In other words, it would take at least half a year for the Black Emperor Castle to be completely reorganized.

It was absurd to wait until then. Even if they had to endure some damage, they had to seize the victory of the first battle through a preemptive strike.

‘It’s enough to have hidden it until now. The Evil Sound and the Blood Mad will soon know what our forces are aiming for.’

They hadn’t been caught yet. Not yet.

But now it was okay if they were caught. If the forces had reached the doorstep of Liaoning, it wouldn’t be strange if a battle broke out at any time.

‘I will lead this invasion of the mainland.’

The damage they would see immediately was insignificant. If he could lead this war, he could use the power of the Evil Sound and the Blood Mad to take over the Central Plains.

Of course, if it was the Evil Sound Cult Leader’s cunning, he wouldn’t just sit back and be defeated.

‘I have also prepared for that.’

If the enemies, and even the Evil Sound and the Blood Mad, noticed the movements of the Divine, they would react immediately.

‘How many cult members have died meaningless deaths in the boring peace? There will be no such deaths now.’

Ki Woo-hwan’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

‘We will fight and seize it. Even if one of our arms is torn off.’

He opened his mouth.

“If the mainlanders notice the movements of our forces, they will immediately send out scouts. Contact the Three Fire Kings and tell them not to act rashly.”

“I will carry out your orders, Cult Leader.”

Ki Woo-hwan closed his eyes.

A small smile appeared on his lips as he fell back asleep in an instant. It was a smile mixed with relief and anticipation.

Woo-oong.

The fire essence writhed and increased in volume.

Behind Ki Woo-hwan’s grand chair.

A pile of dust, which must have been a person just an hour ago, was piled up.

* * *

It was quick to reach Liaoning Province from Beijing in Hebei. However, Liaoning Province also boasted a vast width.

The three people, who had passed through vast plains and low mountains, quickly entered the eastern part of Liaoning Province. It was the Liaodong region.

The time it took to reach Liaodong was a full four days.

No matter how much they were masters who had reached the Limitless [a high level of martial arts mastery], they had run without rest, crossing mountains, rivers, and swamps, so their physical condition was bound to be terrible.

There were five intelligence units belonging to the Black Emperor Castle in Liaoning Province, and they reached Liaodong by passing through the places where the intelligence units were located. Naturally, it was more difficult than just running.

Still, it was worth the effort to pick up the pace.

“It’s over there.”

It was Ki Cheon-woong who first noticed the presence of the Divine’s forces.

Having constantly cultivated his upper dantian with the Wudang’s technique, the Original Dance of the Phoenix, he had now restored almost seventy percent of his skills.

If he fought with determination, he would be hit in the upper dantian again, but at least he had almost regained his former skills, so his unique mind’s eye could do its job.

“Do you feel it?”

“It’s over there. If we go over that low mountain, there will be forces.”

“How many?”

“I can’t tell from here. But looking at the concentration of fire energy that I feel from this distance… it’s easily over a thousand soldiers.”

“Are there any masters?”

“I can’t tell that either. We need to get closer.”

“If there is someone who has reached the Limitless among the enemies when we approach, will they be able to sense the Cult Leader?”

“Probably.”

Since they were this far apart, the enemies could not sense Ki Cheon-woong. If the distance was closer, the fire essence, which was the symbol of the Divine Cult’s martial arts, would attract each other and reveal their presence.

“But it’s okay. If I suppress the fire energy enough, it won’t be easy for them to recognize me either.”

“But the Cult Leader’s upper dantian, which you have worked so hard to build up, will be quite damaged.”

“I came here prepared for that. It’s okay.”

“You can use it if necessary, but there’s no need to go that far. Just by sensing the enemy’s presence from this distance, the Cult Leader has already fulfilled his role.”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Mo Ja-seon.

Mo Ja-seon nodded.

“Cult Leader, wait here. We will go and scout the enemy’s movements.”