Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 13

The boisterous Chuseong Pavilion fell silent in an instant.

“Hmph! So you’re going to hide until the end? Fine! I’ll make sure you can’t stand it and come out!”

Boom! Thump, thump!

Flames erupted from all sides of the Chuseong Pavilion.

“Aaaah!”

“F, fire!”

“Gasp! It’s a martial artist!”

The people who had come to the Chuseong Pavilion were terrified.

It was as if oil had been poured, the flames rising incredibly fast. The Chuseong Pavilion, which boasted a certain history and recognition, was instantly trapped in a wall of fire.

Jeagal Jun, who had been resting, quickly rushed out.

“Sister?!”

Jeagal Ayeon was already out even faster, looking out the window.

“Sister! What is this fire?!”

“It’s them.”

“Huh?”

Jeagal Ayeon’s face was stained with fierce anger.

“They’re the same gang as those I crushed yesterday.”

“……!!”

Jeagal Jun gritted his teeth.

“How did they find this place?!”

“That’s not the problem right now!”

Thump!

Jeagal Ayeon, who had jumped out of the window, leaped across a roof.

It was a graceful movement, like a crane. It was the movement of the Heavenly Machine Body Movement [a lightness skill focused on agility and precision], the lightness skill representing the Jeagal Clan.

Jeagal Ayeon, who had instantly climbed onto the roof of the central building, turned pale.

‘There are so many!’

There were well over a hundred. At the very least, there were about one hundred and fifty.

‘How did so many of them get here?!’

She had only punished the thugs who were assaulting a merchant on the street. It didn’t seem like the merchant was at fault, and more importantly, he looked like he was about to die.

After that, the black-clothed martial arts group that was backing the thugs came after her. But the black-clothed group was only slightly better than third-rate, and there weren’t many of them, so she quickly defeated them and leisurely came to the Chuseong Pavilion.

She thought that was the end of it.

But isn’t that guy yelling over there the leader of the black-clothed group she had defeated back then?

“Gasp! Chief! Do you see her on the roof over there? That’s her!”

“I see her, I see her.”

Jeagal Ayeon looked down at the man called the chief.

‘A master?’

He looked to be about forty years old. He was a slender man with a gentle face.

But unlike his appearance, the man’s eyes were not ordinary. The man’s gaze, which was piercing and glaring at her from a distance, was as eerie as a beast’s eyes.

“Chief! Quickly catch that woman and beat her to a pulp…!”

Crack!

“Cough!”

The man rolled on the ground. The blood pouring from his nose and mouth indicated that he had suffered severe internal injuries.

Jeagal Ayeon’s face frowned.

‘A Yin Palm [a martial art focused on internal damage]?’

It wasn’t a martial art that released power externally. It was a Yin Palm-style martial art that penetrated the body with internal energy, causing internal damage.

The chief dusted off his hands.

“You’re a useless bastard. That’s why you’re called third-rate. Can’t you see that woman is a master trained by a prestigious clan?”

Jeagal Ayeon shouted loudly.

“Who are you!”

“Who am I? Hmm, a young girl with such bad manners. Well, that’s how all those from the righteous sects are.”

“……!!”

“It’s hard to look up, so come down. We need to face each other to introduce ourselves.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Well, if you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.”

The answer was playful, but what happened immediately after was not a joke.

Leather pouches flew in from all directions.

Boom! Whoosh! Boom!

“Kaaaaah!”

“Aaaah! S, save me!”

The already threatening flames became twice as large and fierce as before. The leather pouches seemed to be filled with oil.

Jeagal Ayeon shouted.

“Stop! I’ll come down!”

“You should have done that from the start. Those from the righteous path are so stubborn.”

Swoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, Jeagal Ayeon landed in front of the man.

It was an incredibly graceful lightness skill. The middle-aged man was also quite surprised, his eyes widening.

“Huh! That’s an amazing lightness skill. So, which clan are you from?”

“I am Jeagal Ayeon of the Jeagal Clan.”

She hated using her family’s name to oppress others. But the situation was like this, so there was no other choice. If she made a mistake, the damage to the common people would be great.

“The Divine Jeagal [referring to the Jeagal Clan’s reputation for strategic brilliance]! So this is how I see a child of the Seven Great Clans.”

The man looked at Jeagal Ayeon from head to toe as if she were a strange animal.

Jeagal Ayeon’s face hardened.

‘What is it?’

He wasn’t scared.

Not to mention the thugs, even most black-clothed martial arts groups would run away at the mention of the Seven Great Clans. It was because their lives would be in danger, let alone winning.

But the man showed no such signs at all.

‘Huh?’

Jeagal Ayeon realized that the man’s eyes were somehow murky.

His energy was definitely that of a first-rate master, but his eyes were cloudy?

‘What is it? Is he addicted to some strange drug?’

Swoosh!

By now, Jeagal Jun had also appeared next to Jeagal Ayeon.

The man clapped his hands as if to show off.

“Hoo! It’s an amazing lightness skill even after seeing it again! Would you perhaps teach me that lightness skill? I’m a bit weak in movement skills.”

He was a strange guy, and it was getting worse.

Jeagal Jun unknowingly cursed.

“You crazy bastard!”

“Should I pull out your tendons and carve out your flesh while you’re still alive? Then will you tell me? Huh?”

It was a chilling remark.

It wasn’t just a simple threat. The man’s eyes were gradually filling with madness. Judging by his eyes and voice, it seemed like he had done such things more than once or twice.

“What is your identity?”

“Ah! Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet? This body is the chief of the Thunderfire Clan (雷火房).”

It was a clan they had never heard of. Well, they weren’t very interested in black-clothed martial arts groups in the first place.

“I won’t say much. Order your subordinates to put out the fire right now.”

“Why should I?”

“What?!”

“Whether you guys are here or not, once I set a fire, that’s the end of it.”

The faces of the Jeagal siblings contorted with anger.

The Thunderfire Clan chief burst into laughter. There was madness in his laughter.

“Since you came out so obediently, I’ll spare your lives! Now, how should I cook you two?”

“You wicked bastard!”

“The boy looks sturdy, so I’ll sell him to the old men who are crazy about men, and the girl is pretty, so I’ll enjoy her to my heart’s content and then sell her to a brothel!”

“You!”

Thwack!

They couldn’t listen anymore. The Jeagal siblings kicked off the ground.

A strange energy flickered on the Thunderfire Clan chief’s face.

“Ha!”

At that moment, dozens of hidden weapons flew from the bushes far to the left and right.

It wasn’t a great hidden weapon technique. But it was an unexpected ambush. They were caught off guard because they were so angry.

“Hap!”

Swish!

Following Jeagal Jun’s gesture, the hidden weapons flying in the air changed direction.

It was the Jeagal Clan’s technique, the Small Heavenly Star Palm (小天星掌法) [a palm technique that manipulates energy to redirect attacks]. The palm force, spread out like a silk cloth, disrupted the attack direction of the hidden weapons. It was so advanced that it was hard to believe it was the martial art of a young man who hadn’t even reached twenty.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

“Jun!”

It was an amazing martial art, but he hadn’t considered another ambush. Three daggers were embedded in Jeagal Jun’s thigh.

The Thunderfire Clan chief smiled and flicked his fingers. He had daggers between his finger joints.

“You’re an amateur.”

Jeagal Jun gritted his teeth and stood up.

His martial arts were strong, but he lacked experience. Neither he nor Jeagal Ayeon had any experience in group battles or chaotic fights.

“This much is… Cough!”

At that moment, Jeagal Jun coughed up blood.

It was red blood, but it smelled foul. Jeagal Ayeon’s eyes shook.

‘Poison?!’

She looked at the Thunderfire Clan chief.

“You dirty bastard!”

“Why? Isn’t this much basic in the martial world?”

“Give me the antidote right now!”

“Don’t worry. Your internal organs will be a bit damaged, but you won’t die. I said I’d sell you to old men who enjoy men, right?”

Even though she was furious, her heart sank. That crazy bastard was really going to carry out what he had said.

“Next is your turn.”

Swoosh.

The martial artists who had thrown the hidden weapons from the bushes revealed themselves. It was their intention to capture Jeagal Ayeon in earnest.

She might have been able to handle it alone, but it was difficult to move because of her injured brother. Jeagal Ayeon’s face was filled with distress.

* * *

Thud! Rumble!

The sound of the walls surrounding the Chuseong Pavilion collapsing could be heard everywhere.

It was hard to believe how strong the fire was that even the stone walls were collapsing. Yeon Ji-Pyeong, who had already reached the top floor of the Chuseong Pavilion’s main building, shouted.

“Chief Shin!”

“Yes, Young Master Lee!”

“First, have the members put out the fire! And, and over there! We have to help the Jeagal Clan members!”

Even Yeon Ji-Pyeong, who was as composed as Jeagal Jun, was flustered by the sudden situation.

Shin Mo hurriedly replied.

“I think we should evacuate the people first.”

“Ah! Y, yes! Then I’ll go help the Jeagal Clan members…!”

It was then.

“Wait.”

The two quickly turned around.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was standing there. It seemed he had been walking near the fire wall, as there was soot on his face.

“Brother?!”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes! But brother, what do you mean by wait?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Shin Mo.

“Chief Shin.”

“Yes, Great Young Master.”

“I’ve opened paths in the back garden and the northeast and southeast directions of the Chuseong Pavilion. But that’s not enough. There’s soil piled up on the left and right outside the southwest gate. If you go thirty more yards from there, you’ll reach the river.”

“Y, yes?!”

“Break down the southwest gate. That’s the final escape route.”

“H, how can we do that….”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

In that instant, Shin Mo felt her back straighten.

“I will follow the Great Young Master’s orders!”

Shin Mo moved immediately.

Yeon Ho-Jeong passed by Yeon Ji-Pyeong and stood at the edge of the railing. He saw Jeagal Ayeon hugging Jeagal Jun in his eyes.

‘Now, show me your martial arts.’

He could see a faint energy rising from Jeagal Ayeon’s body. It seemed like she was planning to go all out.

‘Hurry!’

Yeon Ji-Pyeong asked urgently.

“Brother! We need to open a path where the Jeagal Clan people are! There are many people over there too!”

“It’s okay.”

“Huh?!”

“The fire won’t spread any further. The wind direction is also against us, so there’s no chance of inhaling smoke. It’s okay for now.”

“But if people panic and have an accident…!”

“Everyone will live once the fight is over. Don’t panic.”

“Th, then let’s go help the Jeagal Clan! We need to defeat them as soon as possible to open the gate…!”

“Wait.”

“……Brother?”

“Wait.”

Yeon Ji-Pyeong was about to ask what that meant, but he suddenly closed his mouth.

The eyes above his high and sharp nose, shining with a blue light, were truly terrifying.

It was a look he had never seen before. It was like looking at the eyes of a ghost, not a human.

Thud!

Yeon Ji-Pyeong unknowingly took a couple of steps back, his foot catching on a table leg. But Yeon Ji-Pyeong didn’t even notice it. He felt a sense of alienation and fear at his brother’s completely changed demeanor.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was the same. His five senses and sixth sense, which were always searching in all directions, were now focused solely on Jeagal Ayeon.

‘If your family is behind this.’

The hand holding the window frame tightened.

Crack!

The wooden window frame broke. He had unknowingly used the Wall-Penetrating True Energy (壁羅眞訣) [a technique that allows one to channel energy to break through solid objects].

“……Starting with you two, I’ll turn the entire Hubei into a sea of fire.”

Boom!

Dozens of daggers poured down on Jeagal Ayeon.

At that moment, a white energy surged from Jeagal Ayeon’s body.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened.