Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1091

Beyond the imperial palace, Yeon Ho-Jeong, standing on the massive northern wall, gazed up at the dark northern sky.

‘So many stars.’

There were many stars, and the moon was bright.

Even the seemingly endless world had its limits. Though it was dark, he could see the blue mountain range beyond the vast plains.

‘Even if the Shinwha Order [Divine Transformation Order] sends a surprise attack force to the north, they wouldn’t come over there.’

The distance was too great.

Of course, they would bring those who had mastered exceptional martial arts, so they could move faster than cavalry over short distances, but at this distance, the imperial palace would have enough time to prepare thoroughly and fight the enemies.

‘They’ll be familiar with the terrain here too.’

The Shinwha Order had occupied the imperial palace for a long time and had been stealing information. They would have the imperial palace map as well as maps of the surrounding areas.

Considering that, it was inevitable that the Shinwha Order would target the imperial palace in this war.

‘After exploring every nook and cranny.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes turned to the right.

‘There’s a high probability they’ll break through between the two walls.’

It was impossible to rule out the possibility of them attacking from an unexpected direction.

Whatever the case, the imperial palace was already prepared for the Shinwha Order’s surprise attack. No matter where they attacked from, they would be able to quickly concentrate their forces, so he was relieved for now.

However, one thing that worried him was the enemy’s forces.

‘How many will come?’

Taking the imperial palace was not the end.

After occupying the imperial palace, they would spread the news throughout the Central Plains to demoralize their side.

They would move after that. It was still unknown whether they would stabilize Hebei or break through below and quickly attack another province.

‘Even if they succeed in attacking the imperial palace, they will have to contend with the power of the Hebei martial world.’

Of course, it wouldn’t be difficult.

Hebei was where the imperial palace was located, so there were fewer martial arts sects than in other regions. Even if it was declining, it was still the center of the empire. It was a region where it was difficult for martial arts sects to commit acts close to lawlessness.

That was why this defense of the imperial palace was even more important.

‘The tactics and troop strength will vary greatly depending on whether they come with the intention of breaking through or with the intention of turning it into a wasteland.’

He was lost in thought when he heard a voice.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Master.”

The person who approached him was Yang Cheon.

“You don’t have to call me master anymore.”

“Once a master, always a master.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I find the current situation more ridiculous.”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t this the time when you should be burning with newlywed passion?”

“You’ve become a city lord, and now you say whatever you want.”

“I’ve always been the type to say whatever comes to mind since the first time we met.”

Yang Cheon chuckled and leaned against the wall.

“You’re right. From the first time I saw you, I thought, ‘What kind of guy is this?'”

“……”

“Who would have known that such a guy and I would be here, defending the imperial palace from the attacks of the Three Teachings [Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism]?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“It was possible because you let go of your greed, Master.”

“What if I hadn’t let go of my greed?”

“Well, things wouldn’t have ended well.”

“Is that something you should say to your master, you rascal?”

“It’s the truth.”

Yang Cheon grumbled.

“I still feel a pang sometimes. A rolling stone snatched away my delicious Black Path Alliance [a group of martial artists who operate outside the law].”

“Thanks to that, you met your destined partner and even got married, didn’t you? You should be thanking me.”

It was a joke, but Yang Cheon’s answer was unexpected.

“That’s true.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong blinked.

“You seem really happy?”

“Of course, wouldn’t I be happy to have such a beautiful wife?”

He seemed genuinely satisfied with his current life. Yeon Ho-Jeong thought that Yang Cheon’s smiling face was a pleasant sight.

“Before I got married, I thought that the only things of value in this world were power and fame.”

“That can’t be true. You knew that wasn’t everything even before that, didn’t you?”

“I knew it in my head. But this lingering attachment kept popping up, and even when I tried to shake it off, I felt uneasy and couldn’t sleep.”

“Is that so?”

“But after getting married, I realized that there were other things that were truly valuable in this world.”

“My skin is tingling.”

“So you should also get married to a woman you like.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled bitterly.

He couldn’t even imagine such a future.

“Later.”

“If you keep putting off marriage, it will never end.”

“Before that, there has to be someone who likes me.”

“That’s nonsense. Think about your reputation. If you just say you’re thinking about marriage, fathers all over the world will be scrambling to marry off their daughters.”

“How can I live with someone I don’t like?”

“You have to meet them to know if they’re good or not. Did I care about that?”

“Hey, it’s different for you, Master. If you marry a bride who is over twenty years younger than you when you’re over sixty, you’d do it without looking back…”

“Don’t talk nonsense. If you don’t like arranged marriages, then meet a lot of people.”

“I think you’ve forgotten, but we’re in the middle of a war right now.”

“It’s usually during wartime that many children are born.”

“Ugh, please stop. I’m suffocating.”

Yang Cheon burst into laughter.

“Even a guy who has nothing to fear in the world is afraid of marriage.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Do you think the enemies will come faster if you stare here? Let’s go inside and have a drink.”

“How can we drink when we don’t know when they’ll attack?”

“That’s why we need to relax even more.”

“You relax, Master. I’m fine as I am.”

“You’re a really unique guy. How did I end up taking such an unromantic guy as my disciple?”

Yang Cheon, who was grumbling, suddenly remembered something and turned his head.

It was towards the northeast, where Liaoning Province was located.

“I wonder if they’re okay over there?”

“They’ll be fine. Muk Bi and Gang Ryang went.”

Yang Cheon frowned.

“It’s true that everyone knows those two archers are outstanding, but… will the Ice Palace Lord be managed well?”

“It’ll be fine. The Ice Palace Lord isn’t that stubborn.”

“Besides, the enemy’s numbers are five thousand. I haven’t been there, so I don’t know, but I heard the terrain there is quite difficult.”

“Difficult terrain for me is also difficult for the enemy. The key is who can occupy a better environment in that difficult place.”

“Hmm.”

“And there aren’t many people who can follow Muk Bi’s lead in that regard.”

“I’ve heard a lot about that child. I know her skills too. But is it possible to gain so much just from leading the Martial Alliance’s reserve unit?”

“Muk Bi did.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes sparkled.

“…She was even called a military god, surpassing the title of divine archer.”

“Huh? Military god?”

“There’s such a thing.”

During the Dark Emperor era, her tactical plans were unmatched.

Muk Bi was the one who confused the enemy by actively executing small unit operations, large-scale all-out battles, intelligence gathering, and even assassinations. The other five great generals each had their own strengths, but no one was as close to being a complete package as Muk Bi.

“It’s not like she’s as good as she was back then, but she’s not a talent that can be easily defeated by those mediocre people.”

* * *

“Finally, another day is coming to an end.”

Flames ignited in Geukpae’s eyes as he looked towards the north.

He had a dignified physique, short-cropped hair, and thick muscles on his sleeveless arms.

Even in the winter weather of Liaoning, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of cold. He had reached the pinnacle of the Scorching Yang Art [a martial art focused on generating heat], but he was also naturally resistant to the cold.

‘I want to cross over right now, but…’

Geukpae suppressed his surging desires.

He was a patient man. But after spending so long in this barren land of Liaoning, he was truly itching to move.

What he wanted was to burn the enemy territory with his troops in an instant. In fact, his military strength lay in full-scale infiltration.

‘As soon as dawn breaks tomorrow, I will finally be able to ignite the flames of the divine fire on that continent.’

The reason why his five thousand troops had not advanced quickly was entirely due to the opponent’s reaction.

If he had wanted to, he could have broken through Liaoning in an instant and stormed into the imperial palace. He was confident in that.

In any case, he would be rewarded for his patience tomorrow. Even if enemies appeared, he would burn them all, and if there were enemies he couldn’t handle, which was unlikely, he would ignore them and charge forward.

Not only him, but all of them would do the same. The confidence of the troops who had received the blessing of the fire god day by day reached the sky.

“It’s unusually cold today.”

Geukpae looked to his side.

There was a red-haired beauty who was slightly smaller than Geukpae but still quite tall for a woman.

She was So Hagu, Geukpae’s adjutant and lover.

“Why don’t you go inside and get some sleep? What are you doing here?”

“I can’t sleep.”

So Hagu smiled and hugged his arm.

“I’m excited too. I want to smell the blood of the mainlanders as soon as possible.”

“I want to pull out their hearts. I want to see if they’re different from us.”

“They’ll be different. The hearts of the non-believers are all deformed.”

The conversation between the lovers was unusually brutal.

Geukpae took a light breath. Talking about blood and hearts made his heart race.

Today, he would cool this excitement with the wind of the frontier. It wasn’t time to burn yet.

“How are the believers doing?”

“They’re calm. Calmly sharp. They’ll probably be able to run for days without feeling tired.”

“What about the other commanders?”

“They seem quite excited. No one is sleeping yet.”

Geukpae grinned.

The majority of the commanders gathered here were his direct subordinates. They were destroyers with a strong desire to win and were skilled in forward infiltration, just like Geukpae.

Those people had been slowly advancing and soothing their aching hearts, so how excited would they be today?

“Let’s check again. How many days did you say?”

“Six days. There won’t be any problems on that side.”

He was talking about the force that was going to surprise attack the imperial palace.

“Six days… that’s perfect.”

“With this one battle, we’ll show that we’re qualified to lead the Three Teachings. The Evil Sound [a heretical sect] and the Blood Madness [another heretical sect] will be placed at the feet of the divine fire.”

“One battle won’t do that. The important thing is how much sacrifice those two places can endure in this war.”

“They’ll be able to go crazy enough. Especially on the mainland side, they’re more angry at the Evil Sound than us…”

That was when it happened.

Geukpae, who raised his hand and covered So Hagu’s mouth, looked around.

So Hagu’s eyes widened slightly. Geukpae’s expression was quite serious. Of course, she didn’t ask why.

After some time had passed.

“…That’s strange.”

Geukpae tilted his head.

“Did I feel wrong?”

“Why? Did you feel something strange?”

“No, it’s not that I felt something… I just felt a chill down my spine.”

So Hagu chuckled.