Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 285

It felt as if a giant pickaxe had struck the top of her head with a thud!

‘A spy? What spy? Huh? But what exactly does a spy do?’

Gi Woo-Hee’s face, on the verge of fainting from extreme shock and confusion, was a mess that was hard to look at.

Looking at Gi Woo-Hee’s face, Yeon Ho-Jeong thought,

‘Interesting.’

This reaction confirmed that the Western Region’s divine maiden, Gi Woo-Hee, was indeed affiliated with the Three Teachings [a powerful and mysterious organization].

At the same time, Yeon Ho-Jeong felt a sense of anticlimax.

‘Why is she so sloppy?’

He knew the power and cruelty of the Cult of the Three Teachings. He didn’t know their true purpose, but he knew they intended to seize the Central Plains [the heartland of the martial world] and completely obliterate the martial world and the government.

That alone made the Cult of the Three Teachings the enemy of everyone in the Central Plains. Naturally, the Three Teachings would be aware of this reality, and if they were to send a spy, they would surely select them with extreme caution.

But what is this? What made them think of sending such a fool as a spy?

Yeon Ho-Jeong felt a little tired.

‘Did history changing make all the Three Teachings guys become idiots or something?’

No matter how sharp Yeon Ho-Jeong’s insight was, it was difficult to look back at himself.

Gi Woo-Hee was certainly not a strong-willed person. However, the courage and tenacity she had gained from treating patients for over ten years were quite substantial.

However, no matter how much courage Gi Woo-Hee had, it was not enough to withstand Yeon Ho-Jeong’s oppressive aura.

Except for Heuk Yang, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s gaze, as he faced a member of the Three Teachings for the first time, was as sharp as a blade. Anyone, not just Gi Woo-Hee, would be intimidated.

Decisively, Gi Woo-Hee’s reaction was due to her intuition.

Her intuition was so exceptional that she could detect the stealth of a top-tier assassin, despite her own skills being far from first-rate. It was, in a word, a natural talent.

That talent was telling her.

The danger of Yeon Ho-Jeong, the murderous intent hidden beneath his scholarly appearance, was like a ticking bomb.

Buzz! Buzz!

Gi Woo-Hee swallowed involuntarily.

The way Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at her was gradually becoming clearer. At the same time, her intuition was becoming more and more agitated.

‘It hurts.’

The fear triggered by her intuition made her brain feel like it was boiling. A severe headache made her vision go white.

Her intuition had only sounded such a strong alarm twice before.

She thought of one person.

The embodiment of absolute power, looking down on all with clear blue eyes like the blue sea.

‘Father.’

The one who lights the divine fire.

The one and only Son of Heaven who will illuminate the world with the hottest and purest flame, the leader of the Divine Fire Cult [a religious group known for their extreme beliefs].

At the same time, another absolute being came to mind.

‘And… that one!’

Where there is light, there is also darkness.

The one who leads the darkest and most wicked group in the world, the master of depravity, who is paradoxically most prepared to ascend to the most honorable position because he dwells in the lowest place.

‘This can’t be! This person is…?!’

Unbelievably, Yeon Ho-Jeong was exuding such a terrifying pressure that Gi Woo-Hee was reminded of the two strongest figures in the world.

Martial arts? Strength?

That wasn’t the issue.

This young man had not reached the level of martial arts of her father or the master of the Demonic Yin Cult [a group known for their dark and sinister practices]. No, even among the Thirteen Seats of the Saintly Heaven, who were said to be the best in the martial world, there were probably not even three who could compare to the leaders of the Three Teachings.

Then, what was it about this young man that was so outstanding that he reminded her of the leaders of the Three Teachings?

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

In an instant, Gi Woo-Hee had a hallucination.

The sharp, venomous-eyed scholar-like young man was transforming into a monster with hundreds of arms and legs, dozens of eyes, and sharp fangs like a beast.

Each breath was poison, each wave of his hand brought a typhoon. One step caused an earthquake, and his shout brought thunder and lightning.

Quarrel!

‘Gasp!’

A hallucination of a true monster that could not be described even with the term ‘three heads and six arms.’

The evil god who had risen to the earth, leading five demon kings behind him, was here. He was an unprecedented incarnation of evil that would burn the continent and even the sky.

Shudder.

Gi Woo-Hee trembled in extreme fear.

She, who had inherited the purest yet most turbid blood of the Divine Fire lineage, was surprisingly born with a spiritual eye that had not manifested in anyone else in the Divine Fire lineage.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, as captured by that spiritual eye, was an uncontrollable monster that had grown with the concepts of fear, hatred, and destruction plastered all over him.

“Why are you doing that?”

“……”

“Hey.”

“Hic!”

Startled, Gi Woo-Hee returned to reality from her hallucinatory world.

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“Are you sick? Why are you sweating so much?”

Well, it was understandable that she was surprised, since she had suddenly been exposed as a spy.

“Ah, no.”

Gi Woo-Hee, with her hand on her chest and breathing heavily, was clearly not normal.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly watching Gi Woo-Hee, relaxed his posture.

“Well, it seems you are a spy after all.”

He stated definitively.

It was clear that he had known her identity from the start. Come to think of it, the unknown sense of unease she had felt from the first time she met Yeon Ho-Jeong might have been because he knew her identity.

‘Hoo.’

After catching her breath, Gi Woo-Hee felt strangely at ease.

Gi Woo-Hee spoke calmly.

“Do you think I’m a spy from another organization?”

“That’s right.”

His tone had changed.

Gi Woo-Hee sensed an uncontrollable violence in that change.

And surprisingly, that change made her feel even more at ease. From the start, she didn’t like hiding things from others, nor was she good at lying.

“Then, which organization do you think sent me as a spy?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

He too could sense Gi Woo-Hee’s change. Gi Woo-Hee was not trying to deny it, but rather, she was trying to tell him everything.

‘A strange person.’

Usually, when faced with such an unexpected blow, it was normal to deny being a spy, regardless of the surprise. And that was the normal reaction.

But Gi Woo-Hee was not like that. Her voice was becoming calmer, as if she was glad it had happened.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes narrowed.

“Well? I don’t know which of the three it is, but it doesn’t seem like you’re from the Demonic Yin Cult.”

Gi Woo-Hee flinched.

‘As expected.’

This person knew about the existence of the Three Teachings.

She swallowed again.

“You know about it. About the Three Teachings.”

“That’s right.”

“H-How…?”

“I don’t have any obligation to tell you that.”

That was true.

Gi Woo-Hee sighed.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“If necessary.”

“…If necessary?”

“That’s right.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong gave a faint smile.

It was a smile that instantly gripped Gi Woo-Hee’s somewhat calm heart with fear.

“A spy doesn’t admit to being a spy. But you admitted it.”

“……”

“I don’t know what your circumstances are, but it seems to me that you yourself have a strong aversion to the act of spying.”

Gi Woo-Hee swallowed again.

Even without the same intuition or spiritual eye as her, the opponent had the experience and insight to navigate through a chaotic world.

In a way, it was a much more powerful force than innate talent. And with that almost certain insight, Gi Woo-Hee could not lie.

Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed inwardly.

‘My brother’s words weren’t wrong either.’

He had no intention of forgiving anyone related to the Three Teachings.

But Moyong Gun had said that she didn’t seem like a bad person by nature, and that she didn’t seem immediately dangerous, so it was best to talk first.

At least in this case, Moyong Gun’s judgment was correct.

‘Even if he’s young, the real deal is the real deal.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been watching Gi Woo-Hee all along, suddenly slammed the table.

Bang!

Startled, Gi Woo-Hee looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong with fear-filled eyes.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke calmly.

“Enough with the useless talk. I know you’re a spy, and you’ve admitted it.”

“……!”

“Now it’s time to make a choice.”

“…A choice?”

“That’s right.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong crossed his arms.

“Do you want to die?”

Gi Woo-Hee’s face turned pale.

“Of course, you don’t want to die. But since you’ve been exposed as a spy, it’s hard to avoid death. So, you have two paths.”

“Yes?”

“Die here, or give us information about your side.”

Gi Woo-Hee’s eyes wavered.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“It’s easy to kill you. I can just twist your neck here.”

“……!!”

“But it’s hard to get information from the Three Teachings. So, you’re quite a useful pawn.”

“Are you telling me… to betray my cult?”

“That’s right.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Then die.”

Screech.

Yeon Ho-Jeong got up from his seat.

Gi Woo-Hee, who had been looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong with trembling eyes, closed her eyes.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been looking down at Gi Woo-Hee, smiled and said,

“Isn’t it interesting?”

“…Yes?”

“In fact, if the Three Teachings weren’t trying to take over the Central Plains, we wouldn’t have any reason to hate them either. Of course, we would be wary of them.”

“……!”

“Do you understand? We know nothing about them. But they are trying to take over the Central Plains. And that path will inevitably be stained with blood.”

Gi Woo-Hee’s clenched fist trembled faintly.

“They are evil. Regardless of what they seek, from the moment they try to kill innocent people of the Central Plains, they have no justification or excuse. Why? Because they are evil.”

“……”

“Even a murderer may have a story. But that doesn’t excuse their crime. That’s what you’re trying to do.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes spat out a blue spark.

“And you are a doctor. Your job is to heal people’s bodies and save lives. Yet, you, despite being a member of that group, are just watching them shed innocent blood.”

“……!”

“Don’t even say you were a doctor when you go before the King of the Underworld [a reference to the afterlife]. It’s disgusting.”

Gi Woo-Hee opened her eyes.

Her bloodshot eyes were filled with an unknown anger and confusion.

“I, I also hate conflict! I also hate seeing blood!”

“Then why didn’t you try to change it?”

“How can I when I don’t have the power…!!”

“So that’s the result. If that’s the case, why didn’t you speak up and die sooner? If you had, you might have died younger, but at least you would have been proud of yourself.”

“……!!”

“You’re saying the same excuses that countless villains have made. So what does it matter if you’re good by nature? The result is this.”

The smile disappeared from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

“Don’t try to make excuses with words like age, relationships, or courage. You failed to choose when you had to choose. Therefore, you have no right to criticize the Medical Society.”

Gi Woo-Hee’s expression was filled with despair.

There were many things she could have refuted. But she couldn’t refute them.

Because, as a result, she understood that Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words were true.

Thud!

“Cough!”

Gi Woo-Hee’s body was lifted into the air.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had grabbed her neck, spoke coldly.

“I’ll give you one last chance.”

“……”

“Will you die a dirty death? Or will you struggle to change your miserable life?”

“……!!”

“Choose. Right now!”