Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1311

Blood-Soaked Glory (14)

Dan Gong’s death sent a tremendous shockwave through the battlefield.

The fact that he had casually broken through the front lines, infiltrated the enemy camp, and killed the commander-in-chief caused the morale of the Murim [martial arts world] forces to explode, while the morale of the Demonic Cult, stunned by the death of their leader, completely crumbled.

It was said that there were two types of leaders. There were leaders who, upon their death, would cause their soldiers to fight to the death, and there were leaders who would cause morale to plummet, making fighting itself impossible.

Looking at Dan Gong as an individual, he was clearly a general of the former type. However, this war was different.

Dan Gong was the commander-in-chief who had been directly entrusted with full authority by the living god, the Demonic Cult Lord. To the cultists, this meant that Dan Gong was a leader in a position similar to that of a divine representative.

It wasn’t that the god had died, but the god’s representative had been beheaded by the enemy general. This caused a tremendous mental shock to the Demonic Cult followers.

In a holy war where they had participated with a near-religious conviction of absolute victory, their leader had died.

That fact dragged the morale of the Demonic Cult followers to rock bottom. There could be no greater shock.

Osa Wang and Yuksa Wang encouraged the cultists and ordered them to fight to the end, but even the two kings could not raise the already fallen morale.

The Murim forces, with overflowing morale, began to push the Demonic Cult forces to the east, and in the process, the Righteous Army, Yeon-wi, Muk Bi, and Sama Hyeon worked together in perfect harmony, inflicting enormous casualties.

However, the Sancheon Group was still intact, and even though they had been pushed back once, the Demonic Cult forces were not annihilated. Having been pushed back dozens of miles, they tried to reorganize their troops as they retreated, and the Murim forces tried to catch up and surround them completely.

At that moment, Dan Hyang made a crucial decision.

The Demonic Cult forces, who had not even had time to reorganize, scattered before the Murim forces could surround them. Since they could not escape by ship again, they decided to disperse to divert the enemy’s attention and regroup later.

It was an unavoidable choice, but that decision dealt them a fatal blow. Since they were not familiar with the geography of Gangso Province in the first place, their mobility was no match for the dispersed Murim forces.

In the end, many units could not avoid annihilation, and in the process, Yuksa Wang, Beon Yo-gyeong, lost his life at the hands of the Fighting King, Yang Cheon.

Only the Sancheon Group, Osa Wang Dan Hyang, and some of the Lightning Shadow Unit survived and fled, so it was no exaggeration to call it a great victory.

The battle, which had been decided in just one day, was a testament to Yeon-wi’s decision to go directly for the leader.

The shouts of victory echoed throughout Gangso Province.

* * *

“I see.”

Yeon-wi’s face, receiving the report from the Flying Sky Sword Lord, Bi Yeon-sang, was pale. It was unclear whether it was due to internal injuries or the shocking news.

“In the end, we lost half.”

“Yes.”

The Flying Sky Swordsmen, along with the Flying Eagle Unit, the Spear Eagle Unit, the Black Eagle Unit, and the Divine Eagle Unit.

The proud swordsmen of the Yeon family had lost as much as half of their number in this war.

Considering the total number of troops, it was not quite a complete victory, but it was certainly a great victory. However, as the head of a family, how could he celebrate when he had lost half of his family members?

Yeon-wi, who was silently looking down at the Imperial Sword, was addressed by Bi Yeon-sang.

“If the Lord had not made that decision, more swordsmen would have died.”

“…Yes, that’s probably true.”

“And we almost lost our leader as well.”

Yeon-wi looked up at Bi Yeon-sang.

Even on Bi Yeon-sang’s always stern face, sadness and anger could be seen.

“Lord. We are the proud swordsmen of the Yeon family. However, we have never trained for a situation where we might lose our leader in such an absurd way.”

“…”

“It’s fortunate that we succeeded, but you must never engage in such reckless battles again. You are the heart of the Yeon family.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Bi Yeon-sang sighed.

“Currently, the Vice-Commander and the Imperial Army are pursuing the remaining remnants. They have even issued a strict order to restrain you from going out, even if they have to tie you up.”

“…”

“I will lead the swordsmen and join the pursuit team, so please rest well today.”

“I’m sorry.”

“The battle is not over yet, and you don’t need to apologize.”

Bi Yeon-sang clasped his fist in salute.

“I will see you when I return.”

With those words, Bi Yeon-sang left the tent.

Left alone, Yeon-wi felt his eyelids growing heavier.

‘I shouldn’t be like this.’

Yang Cheon, of all people, had told him not to interfere. If he ignored that and joined the pursuit team, it would cause great trouble for Yang Cheon.

Furthermore, he was not actually in a condition to fight. Due to the excessive use of the upper dantian [energy center] and severe internal injuries, he would not be able to display even 30% of his usual strength.

‘It can’t be helped.’

His skill was one thing, but there was a more serious problem.

Twitch!

Something seemed to be trying to burst out from near his left collarbone.

Sweat beaded on Yeon-wi’s forehead as he pressed down on his collarbone with his right hand.

‘It’s terrible.’

The Yin-Huang evil energy that had infiltrated him had not yet disappeared.

In the past, Yang Cheon had also been poisoned by the Yin-Huang evil energy, and his skills had constantly deteriorated.

That would have been fine, but the Yin-Huang evil energy was a poison that even threatened his life. He had heard that if the Demonic Cult Lord had intended to kill him, he would have died long ago.

‘Should I call it fortunate?’

Dan Gong’s Yin-Huang evil energy was indeed formidable. However, it was not something he could not handle.

Woo-oong!

The Yeon Family Divine Core rotated, constantly sending spiritual energy to the injured area.

Activation of physical abilities. The speed at which spiritual energy was restoring the damaged areas was slightly faster than the speed at which the Yin-Huang evil energy was poisoning his body.

It would take a long time, but he would be able to extract it somehow.

“Hoo.”

Since the Yin-Huang evil energy was blocking several major acupoints, it was not easy to use the Sword Qi [energy-based sword technique]. In the end, he had to slowly treat his internal injuries with natural Qi [life force] circulation.

‘Well, in this condition, it would be a blessing if I didn’t cause trouble.’

But why?

He felt like he shouldn’t just stay here.

It wasn’t that his desire to join the pursuit was great. It was just that the thought that he shouldn’t just rest, that he had to do something, kept swirling in his head.

How much time had passed?

“Father.”

A voice that was trying hard despite being exhausted.

Yeon-wi’s eyes widened.

“May I come in?”

“Yes, come in.”

The tent flap opened, and Yeon Ji-pyeong appeared.

Yeon-wi’s eyes wavered.

Although he had wiped it with a wet towel, Yeon Ji-pyeong’s appearance, with blood and dirt clinging to him in places, was that of a general who had come through the battlefield.

When had he grown up so much? Where had the fragile appearance of his tender heart gone? There stood a healthy and well-grown son of the Yeon family.

However, Yeon-wi felt more pity for his injured and exhausted son than pride in his well-grown son.

“Are you alright?”

“Of course.”

There wasn’t even a word about being a little tired. The face of his second son, smiling with a reassuring smile, was so clear.

“I was going to join the pursuit team, but the Flying Sky Sword Lord told me to stay with you, Father. I thought it would be better for me to stay as well.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Yeon-wi, who had been quietly looking at Yeon Ji-pyeong, tapped the side of the bed.

“Come and sit here.”

Yeon Ji-pyeong was momentarily flustered, but he nodded and sat next to Yeon-wi.

There was a moment of silence between the two.

It was Yeon-wi who spoke first.

“When you were this small.”

Yeon-wi raised his hand.

His appearance, indicating the height of a child who would have been about six years old, was human.

“You got angry at this father for the first time. Do you remember?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t remember very well…”

“I guess not. I was surprised too. Such a gentle and kind child suddenly glared and yelled.”

“Why was I angry?”

“Because I had internal injuries from excessive training.”

“Ah…”

“After your mother passed away, I lived each day fiercely, like a madman. I reduced my sleep for the sake of the family, and I swung my sword like a madman to improve my skills as a swordsman. But even with internal energy, you can’t suppress fatigue, and I ended up collapsing.”

Yeon-wi smiled.

“Seeing you shouting at me as I collapsed, I was greatly surprised. It was as if your mother was borrowing your form to scold this unworthy father.”

“Is that so?”

“After that, I never pushed myself to the point of collapsing again. When I became extremely tired, I always took a rest.”

“That’s a relief.”

He was hearing his own old story for the first time. Yeon Ji-pyeong felt a strange sense of embarrassment.

“The little child who worried about his father like that has now grown up and is wielding a sword. I’m very proud of you.”

Again, Yeon Ji-pyeong could not say anything.

At that moment, Yeon-wi suddenly realized.

He had already said it once, but now was the time to make it definite.

He spoke following his intuition.

“Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

“Yes?”

“The position of family head is difficult and heavy.”

“…?!”

“You can’t live your life freely. There are mountains of things to deal with every day, and sometimes training to improve your skills as a martial artist takes a backseat.”

“…Father.”

“Our main family is not as powerful as other families. We don’t have much money to enjoy power. As you know, we spend a lot of money every year for the common people. You can’t be extravagant, and you have to live for responsibility while having no time for yourself.”

Yeon-wi smiled.

“Even so, are you sure you’re okay with it?”

Yeon Ji-pyeong gave a wry smile.

“You have been doing it for decades, and my older brother started a job as difficult as the family business at a younger age than me. And now, he is leading the war as the head of the Black Path Alliance.”

“…”

“How could I be more tired than the two of you?”

“Hahaha.”

Aside from anything else, he was glad that he seemed to know that the position of family head was not a position to wield power, but only a difficult one.

He was a child with outstanding character and talent. If it was this child, he would be more than capable of leading the family, and his eldest son would also help him from the side, so perhaps they might enjoy the greatest prosperity in the history of the Yeon family.

“I’ve said it before, but you are the young family head. However, you don’t need to put on airs just because you’re the young family head. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

“I understand.”

It was the most stable and smooth succession in the world. Yeon-wi felt a sense of relief.

“I’ve taught you everything I could, but it is also the responsibility of the current family head to pass on the enlightenment of the predecessors. When this war is over, I will pass on my enlightenment to you. They are quite dangerous martial arts, so you will have to put in a lot of effort.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to him, Yeon Ji-pyeong asked.

“By the way, what was my older brother like?”

“Hmm?”

“When you collapsed from internal injuries.”

“Ah, you mean then.”

Yeon-wi smiled and looked up at the tent ceiling.

“He didn’t do anything.”

“Is that so?”

“He didn’t cry and make a fuss like you, and he didn’t come and hold my hand. However…”

“…?”

“I felt a presence in the middle of the night, and when I opened the door and went out, there was a small, well-prepared He Shou Wu [a medicinal herb] placed there. He had heard the doctor say that He Shou Wu was good for internal injuries, so he had gone to the mountains himself to dig it up.”

Yeon Ji-pyeong also smiled.

“Why didn’t he take it to the doctor?”

“I heard that he did take it to the doctor. But the doctor told him that it would be better to eat the well-washed He Shou Wu raw.”

“Really?”

“Of course not. It’s better to add medicinal herbs and eat it as a decoction than to chew it raw.”

“Ah?”

“It seems he wanted me to understand Ho-jeong’s heart. Your brother never showed his feelings to his father. He was afraid of his father.”

“…”

“But he still went to the trouble of digging up He Shou Wu himself because he was worried.”

“That’s just like him.”

“Yes, it was truly an act that was just like your brother. That’s why I miss your brother. Your brother, who is as kind as you are, who expresses himself honestly.”

Yeon-wi closed his eyes.

“I wonder how much he is suffering now, and what kind of face he will make when we meet, saying it was nothing.”