Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 177

“What? An attack?”

“Seeing as they appeared at a time like this, it seems they’ve been watching us. They seem to be from the Central Plains, claiming to be righteous, but we don’t know their exact identities.”

Pa Sa-reuk frowned, annoyance clouding his blue eyes.

“Did they seem strong?”

“They… seemed quite strong. And there were quite a few of them.”

Hang Chun always acted like he was the best, even if it was just empty words. For him to say the opponents seemed strong meant they were no ordinary foes.

“What about the guys we sent to the next village?”

“Just in case, I sent a few more men. They’ll join us soon.”

“Good job.”

‘Good job’ is good, but being pissed off is being pissed off.

Kooong!

Pa Sa-reuk’s large fist shattered the stone wall of the warehouse.

“What kind of bastards are they, really?”

This invasion of the Sea Dragon Merchant Group wasn’t just a whim. It was because he had received a request from one of the strongest people in the Central Plains, a man even more wicked than himself.

Of course, even the strongest person in the Central Plains couldn’t move the Hoirang Band [a bandit group] with a clumsy attempt at persuasion. Pa Sa-reuk was as quick-witted as he was proud.

But this time, he had no choice. Even the leader of the greatest bandit group outside the Central Plains couldn’t dare ignore the orders of ‘that person’ to cooperate with the strongman of the Central Plains.

“This is why you shouldn’t join hands with those Central Plains bastards. Idiots! If some small fry are following us, they should have told us in advance!”

Hang Chun cautiously said,

“Maybe they are an unknown entity even to them?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Do you think they deliberately withheld information to stab us in the back?”

The possibility of betrayal couldn’t be ruled out. But Pa Sa-reuk didn’t think that man would ever betray him.

Not because he trusted his character, but because he trusted the situation. Right now, even the strength of a mere ant was precious to him.

“The Martial Alliance.”

Pa Sa-reuk snorted.

“If it’s a force that the man couldn’t grasp and is presumed to be righteous, there’s a high chance it’s the recently formed Martial Alliance.”

His brain worked fast, not matching his enormous size. That was the reason why the Hoirang Band, led by Pa Sa-reuk, had been able to roam freely outside the Central Plains for ten years.

Hang Chun’s face hardened.

“If the opponent is the Martial Alliance, shouldn’t we run?”

“We should.”

Pa Sa-reuk’s face immediately turned sullen.

“We should run, but there’s no easy way out, is there? A fight is inevitable.”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“Tch.”

Pa Sa-reuk looked at the corner of the warehouse.

There were about a dozen young women, shivering. They were all beautiful.

“It’s a shame. I have to tear them apart without even tasting them.”

Tear them apart? It was hard to understand the meaning, but the savagery in his tone was immense.

Pa Sa-reuk gave a meaningful smile.

“Prepare the skewers.”

“Commander, the enemy’s leader is coming out.”

“I know.”

Moyong Gun’s cold gaze went past the broken outer wall towards the inner compound.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The bandit group was approaching with powerful strides.

‘They’re well-trained.’

Before their martial arts, their bodies were very well-honed. Not bodies made through thorough training, but bodies naturally honed through countless real battles.

‘Their individual capabilities are inferior to the Tangma Destroyers [elite soldiers], but if they fight as a group, they will surely…’

That’s when it happened.

“…!!”

Moyong Gun’s expression slightly distorted.

“What, what is that?”

“Those crazy bastards!”

Hundreds of bandits appeared, swaggering. But behind them, the bandits surrounding the huge man with exotic features were each holding iron poles over a yard long.

And at the end of those iron poles, the corpses with severed limbs were hanging, acting as flags. As if they were skewered.

It was a sight that was hard to bear with human morality.

Jin Pae’s eyes filled with murderous intent.

“Commander, let’s wipe them out.”

Even Jin Pae, the oldest and most cautious of the Tangma Army, couldn’t hold back his rising anger.

Moyong Gun didn’t open his mouth. He felt like he would involuntarily swear if he did.

At that moment, Pa Sa-reuk, the leader of the Hoirang Band, who had come out to the outer compound, shouted.

“Yoohoo!”

It felt like the air vibrated for a moment. It was a voice with tremendous resonance.

Flap, flap.

The warhorses of the Tangma Army stamped their feet and snorted in place. They felt uneasy at the strange inner force contained in Pa Sa-reuk’s voice.

At that moment, Moyong Gun raised his greatsword.

Whoooosh!

The Qiankun Palguk True Energy [a powerful martial art technique] rising from the greatsword spread out thinly, creating an invisible barrier.

It was a barrier of true energy that covered all directions. It was a divine skill that couldn’t be imitated with ordinary enlightenment and inner strength.

Flap!

The warhorses quickly calmed down. They regained their stability as they were enveloped in a familiar energy.

‘Ho ho.’

Pa Sa-reuk’s eyes gleamed.

‘So, he’s a young master from a prestigious family?’

He looked to be around thirty years old. Yet, he showed such meticulous control of his inner strength.

It was an inner strength manipulation that Pa Sa-reuk couldn’t do. Not because he was weaker than Moyong Gun, but because of the difference in the nature of the martial arts he had learned and practiced all his life.

‘A genius, huh.’

Pa Sa-reuk smiled.

He had met countless so-called geniuses so far. And all those geniuses had been manipulated by his hands and died miserably.

A well-educated genius from a prestigious family. He was a good opponent to play with.

Paak!

Pa Sa-reuk, who had rushed out in an instant, stood at the front of the group.

‘Hmm.’

Pa Sa-reuk, looking at Moyong Gun from the entrance of the outer compound, stroked his chin.

‘He’s not a clumsy genius.’

Looking at his eyes, the answer was clear. The opponent’s gaze, looking down at him, contained deep anger and cold prudence at the same time.

Moyong Gun opened his mouth.

“Are you Pa Sa-reuk?”

‘Look at this?’

Pa Sa-reuk’s face showed interest.

There was not a single tremor in his voice. Not that he was trying not to tremble, but he actually wasn’t trembling.

He was angry, but his mind was calm. Pa Sa-reuk felt a strange pressure from that unexpected aspect.

‘He won’t be easy to play with.’

Pa Sa-reuk looked around at the Tangma Army.

“Heh, where did you gather such a bunch of rabble?”

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Murderous intent erupted from the bodies of the Tangma soldiers all at once.

They were already having a hard time holding back their anger at the enemy’s outrageous actions. And now, they were being insulted, making it even harder to control their emotions.

But.

“Choose.”

When Moyong Gun opened his mouth, the murderous intent emanating from the entire Tangma Army surged.

“Either disarm and surrender, or face us head-on.”

Pa Sa-reuk chuckled.

“Do you trust these rabble that much?”

“I’ll give you a moment.”

Zzzt!

The extremely heated Qiankun Palguk True Energy dyed Moyong Gun’s eyes blue.

It was even more mysterious and frightening because it wasn’t a natural blue eye like Pa Sa-reuk’s. Pa Sa-reuk felt his fist twitch for a moment.

“If you surrender, your dantian [energy center] will be sealed, your limbs’ meridians will be severed, and you will be imprisoned in the jail for ten years. But if you resist, I will kill you all.”

“…”

“Isn’t survival the top priority for you bandits anyway? Even if you have to beg for it.”

Pa Sa-reuk’s smile deepened.

It was quite a provocative taunt. It was even more frightening because the taunt was genuine, not feigned.

“You’re making a pretty brutal offer. How can we live in fear like this?”

Pa Sa-reuk visibly trembled. His intention to mock his opponent was clear.

“Then, shall we make an offer too?”

Pa Sa-reuk gestured with his hand.

“Kyaaaak!”

The bandits split to the left and right, and naked women were dragged out by their hair.

Murderous intent flared in Moyong Gun’s face.

Pa Sa-reuk gave a sinister smile.

“If you don’t get out of here within a hundred miles, I’ll tear them apart one by one.”

“…”

“Just like this.”

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the large bandits grabbed a woman by the neck.

Crack!

Soon, with a gruesome sound, the woman’s neck was pulled out.

“Uwaaaah!”

“Kyaaak!”

Blood splattered everywhere.

Not only that, but two bandits were wildly slashing the corpse of the woman whose neck had been pulled out with their swords.

Moyong Gun’s eyes slowly became bloodshot. No matter how hard he tried to hold back, this was beyond the limit.

Pa Sa-reuk burst into a cheerful laugh.

“I showed you as an example. If you listen to me, I’ll save all those women, so don’t worry too much.”

“…”

“How is it? Not a bad offer, right?”

“If you touch another innocent person.”

Fsssh.

Pa Sa-reuk’s eyes deepened.

The dam of murderous intent that he had been trying to hold back had burst. Pa Sa-reuk felt his inner strength writhing uncontrollably at the flood of murderous intent pouring in from Moyong Gun.

“Then, I will definitely kill you first before starting.”

A threat for a threat.

Moyong Gun, who had lived a rough life, had never received such a ruthless threat. But he knew one thing.

That you should never trust the offers and threats of villains.

The moment you show weakness, it’s over. Moyong Gun’s response was by no means the best, but it wasn’t the worst either.

‘It’s real.’

Pa Sa-reuk’s eyes flashed.

‘This guy is really planning to target me first.’

This situation is getting quite interesting.

‘Did I misjudge him?’

No. The Moyong Gun that Pa Sa-reuk saw was a man who prioritized the safety of the hostages over annihilating the enemy.

But he’s threatening me instead? Is it just because he doesn’t want to lose?

‘That can’t be it.’

This guy is different from the amateurs he’s seen so far.

‘He has something he believes in.’

His past experiences and quick wit instantly grasped the situation.

Pa Sa-reuk shouted.

“Make sure the perimeter is secure! It seems these guys have other allies!”

Sasa, sasa.

The Hoirang Band watched all directions.

They hadn’t received group training, so their formation itself was sloppy. But there were no gaps. The Hoirang Band’s unique tactics, built up through countless experiences, were like those of fierce wild wolves.

Pa Sa-reuk burst into laughter again.

“Hey, kid. If you’re going to negotiate with your opponent, you shouldn’t reveal what cards you’re holding.”

Looking at Pa Sa-reuk, who was laughing loudly while looking at the sky, Moyong Gun opened his mouth.

“Half a quarter remains.”

“…?”

“After half a quarter, your fate will be decided. Think carefully.”

“Oho.”

Pa Sa-reuk’s blue eyes flashed.

“You’re a very interesting kid. Don’t you think?”

“…”

“I clearly said that I would save the hostages if you listened to me, but if you keep acting like this, it won’t be fun.”

Pa Sa-reuk gestured with his hand again.

At that moment, a terrifying shout came from Moyong Gun’s mouth.

“If you want to see your leader die!”

The resounding voice shook the area.

“Touch those women. I’ll split this pig in half and sink you all into the sea.”

Twitch!

A heavy, ominous murderous intent filled his voice.

Whoooosh.

A blue aura swirled around the Tangma Greatsword. He was about to unleash a single strike in an instant.

The bandits around the women glanced at each other nervously. They had experienced this kind of situation countless times, but the spirit of this opponent was so great that it was hard to ignore.

A sneer appeared on Pa Sa-reuk’s face.

“I can’t help but acknowledge your guts. You’re going to kill me? Do you have the confidence?”

“Try it if you’re curious.”

“I’m the type who can’t stand being curious.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to try it.”

Pa Sa-reuk, who was smiling and watching Moyong Gun, shouted.

“Grab one and tear her apart!”

“Tangma Army, prepare to charge!”

Krrrrrr.

An ominous energy surged.

The bandits looked at each other in confusion. They were unsure if they should really kill the hostages.

Pa Sa-reuk yelled.

“You bastards! Since when have you been thinking? Tear them apart now!”

“Even if we miss the others, we must kill the leader!”

“Why aren’t you killing them, you bastards!”

“Target the leader first, no matter what!”

It was a fierce battle of nerves. No one showed any weakness.

Whoooosh!

Pa Sa-reuk finally unleashed his murderous intent. The direction of that murderous intent was towards his own bandit group.

“If you don’t kill them, I’ll kill you first.”

Only then did one of the bandits grab a woman by the hair.

Moyong Gun’s eyes blazed.

“Everyone, char…!”

That’s when it happened.

A chilling flash pierced the arm of the bandit who had grabbed the woman’s hair.

Thwack!