Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 304

Giu-Hui sighed.

“At this rate, you won’t lose your life right away.”

Jamyeong Ilho glared at Giu-Hui with bloodshot eyes.

Not only was his dantian [energy center] completely destroyed, but he had also lost the yin-cold energy he had accumulated in various acupoints. Yeon Ho-Jeong had thoroughly ruined his body, making it impossible for him to ever practice martial arts again.

He had lost everything after a sudden visit. His eyes, glaring at Giu-Hui, were filled with resentment.

“Is that all?”

Giu-Hui’s response was calm.

“What do you mean?”

“Is that all there was to your choice, betraying the Order?”

“…….”

“The divine fire of the Shin-Hwa flows in your veins! No matter how oppressed you were, how could you betray the Order? I despise myself for respecting you until now!”

The title of ‘Saintess’ had changed to ‘you.’ That was how great her betrayal felt.

Giu-Hui gave a sorrowful smile.

“What’s the point of saying anything now? It’s just an extension of the same conversation we’ve always had.”

“You should be ashamed!”

“…….”

“If you hated the Order so much, you should have taken your own life! Betrayal?! In the history of the Order, there has never been anyone like you…”

“Then you too have betrayed the Central Plains martial world.”

“What?!”

Giu-Hui stared intently at Jamyeong Ilho.

In that instant, Jamyeong Ilho felt his words catch in his throat. Giu-Hui’s eyes, unlike usual, seemed to be faintly tinged with red.

“I didn’t know you were part of the Central Plains martial lineage. Not just learning their martial arts, but actually being part of their lineage.”

“That’s a different matter!”

“It’s the same matter. Regardless of who is better or who has more justification, people ultimately live by making their own choices.”

Giu-Hui sighed.

“I know. No matter what I say, you won’t understand. I can’t even be sure that my choice is right.”

“…….”

“However, at least I intend to accept any consequences that come, even if I regret my choice. Because that’s the responsibility that comes with choosing.”

“…What do you intend to do with me?”

His body was already ruined beyond repair. But Giu-Hui wouldn’t just let him go either.

Jamyeong Ilho never imagined his end would come at such an absurd moment. But he had no intention of crying or begging like any ordinary person.

He would face his end with dignity. That was what Jamyeong Ilho had decided.

Until he heard these words.

“Commander Yeon will take care of it. Whether he uses you or leaves you in a state between life and death, I don’t intend to interfere.”

“……!”

“I’m sorry. It seems like you won’t have an easy death.”

Jamyeong Ilho’s eyelids fluttered.

“Kill me here and now! Although there were conflicts, I have been your guard for over a decade! You could at least grant me that much of a final…”

“At the same time, you are the enemy who killed my mother.”

“……!!”

Giu-Hui smiled bitterly.

“Jamyeong Ilho, in making this choice, I decided to throw away all the remaining conscience and guilt I had. If the target is the enemy who killed my mother, I must become even more ruthless.”

Jamyeong Ilho bit his lip.

He could have said that it wasn’t him, that he didn’t kill her mother.

But it was also meaningless. Giu-Hui’s spiritual eye was not just about sensing presences; it was a divine power that could penetrate through energy barriers and discern truth from falsehood.

Giu-Hui looked out the window.

Her eyes, looking at the cloudy sky, seemed very confused, unlike someone who had made a choice.

“Betrayal…”

* * *

Moyong Gun’s lips curled up.

“The Black Dragon Unit?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you saying that a Black Dragon Unit informant was spying on the Alliance?”

“Well, I don’t know if it was spying or what. He’s a very tight-lipped fellow, hasn’t said a single word so far.”

Moyong Gun was relieved by those words.

“If you’ve caught a Black Dragon Unit informant, shouldn’t you immediately report it to the higher-ups and lock him in the prison?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“That’s what I intend to do. But it seems like the prison isn’t such a safe place.”

“You underestimate the power of our Alliance. The Martial Alliance’s prison is impenetrable. Even the Thirteen Seats of the Heavenly Saints, unless they force their way in, it’s absolutely impossible to infiltrate secretly.”

“That might be true for others. But the prison guards who are controlled by a silver tongue can come and go as they please.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.

“Are you implying that there’s someone in the Alliance who is colluding with the Black Dragon Unit?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shrugged.

“You should remember the operation where we infiltrated the Black Dragon Unit together. If we could do it, why couldn’t the Black Dragon Unit?”

“Don’t compare the Alliance to the Black Dragon Unit. Those guys can never send spies into the Alliance.”

“Never… That’s an uncharacteristically definitive expression for you. Is there a reason you’re so confident?”

“Reason? There is.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes blazed.

“The Martial Alliance is the greatest alliance in the world. Even at this very moment, the power of the Alliance is increasing, and security is being tightened like iron.”

“There’s no such thing as perfection in this world.”

“Also, the Martial Alliance is a union of the Twelve Vassals [powerful clans] and countless minor sects. You easily infiltrated by deceiving one Black Dragon Unit leader, but that kind of method won’t work in the Martial Alliance.”

“There’s no need to stick to that one method. If they intend to send spies, they can approach in any way possible.”

“That’s nonsense…”

It was then.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s hand brushed his waist.

*Crack!*

Moyong Gun’s cheek twitched.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had already taken out his hand axe and slammed it into the table, spoke in a chilling voice.

“I have a question for you. I’d appreciate it if you answered it sincerely.”

It was a clear threat.

Although their relationship was bad, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s actions had clearly crossed the line.

Moyong Gun’s voice also became frighteningly cold.

“…That question had better be important and valid. If you raise an accusation that you cannot handle, you will be held accountable for drawing an axe in front of a Martial Alliance Vassal.”

Even if he was an enemy, Moyong Gun’s position within the Alliance was much higher than Yeon Ho-Jeong’s. Threatening him with an axe was a much bigger crime than one might think.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was not intimidated by Moyong Gun’s thinly veiled threat.

“Did you make a deal with the Black Dragon Unit leader?”

Moyong Gun’s lips curled up.

“That’s a baseless rumor not worth considering.”

“I’ll ask again. Did you make a deal?”

Asking in this way could be interpreted as the other party not having clear evidence either. If Yeon Ho-Jeong had evidence to prove the connection between him and the Black Dragon Unit leader, he would have remained silent and launched a counterattack instead.

Nevertheless, Moyong Gun couldn’t help but admire Yeon Ho-Jeong’s intellect for deducing that much.

No, he felt an emotion closer to fear than admiration.

‘How did this guy…?!’

Moyong Gun spoke calmly.

“I’ll make it clear. There was no deal with the Black Dragon Unit leader.”

“…….”

“You bring up unconfirmed matters, accuse an Alliance Vassal of being a criminal, and even threaten him with an axe? And you brought a swordsman from the Black Path into the Alliance? You’ve crossed the line too far.”

Moyong Gun smiled and stood up.

“Thank you. It seems my defensive stance was worth it. You’ve given me an excuse to throw you in prison, a perfect opportunity to get rid of a thorn in my side.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“You must have been quite desperate. You know that kind of nonsense is meaningless.”

“What nonsense are you talking about now?”

“There’s no one to prove that you were threatened, is there?”

“…….”

“Even if you could prove it, for the head of the Moyong Clan to be threatened by a mere unit commander… With the Alliance Leader election right around the corner, would it be okay to give the public such an incompetent impression?”

Moyong Gun frowned.

“I’m telling you clearly. Go to the prison right now.”

“Are you confident you can handle it?”

“It’s not a matter of handling it. Dragging me into your crimes is just a pointless argument.”

“A pointless argument?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong stood up.

He pulled the axe out of the table, put it back on his waist, and shrugged.

“I’ll go to the prison. And I’ll send the informant I caught to the Grand Envoy.”

“……!”

“I’ll tell him about the series of events that have happened so far, why I suspect you of dealing with the Black Dragon Unit leader, and everything you’ve done.”

“You…”

“Even if what I say isn’t true, you’ll never become the Alliance Leader. The election will be over before the truth is properly investigated.”

“…….”

“You know the power of public opinion so well, so you should know that provoking me like this is not a good idea. Your intuition is still good, but your head can’t keep up with it.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

“Do we really have to fight like this?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“So, instead of trying to break the game with useless words, let’s have a proper conversation. You and I, the moment one of us goes to prison, we can destroy each other, can’t we?”

“…….”

“Let’s leave out the option of mutual destruction, even if we have to decide a winner. I don’t want to tarnish my family’s name because of you.”

Moyong Gun, who had been staring at Yeon Ho-Jeong, sat back down.

“I have never made a deal with the Black Dragon Unit leader. I couldn’t. No matter how much I desire power, I would never shake hands with a lowly thug from the Black Path.”

The conversation had resumed.

Yeon Ho-Jeong remained standing, arms crossed.

“I’ll ask one last time. Is that the truth?”

“Are you interrogating me? If you want a conversation, let’s have a conversation. If you keep acting like this, I’ll have no choice but to drop my defensive stance and go on the offensive again.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“Alright. Then I’ll ask something else.”

“This is a one-sided conversation. Are you not considering my feelings at all?”

“If you think about why I’m asking these questions, you can deduce information about me that you didn’t know before, can’t you?”

“That’s ridiculous. If you want to ask me something, you must also be free from shame in front of everyone.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes blazed.

“Report to the higher-ups that you’ve caught a Black Dragon Unit informant, whether you send him to the Grand Envoy or not. That is the proper course.”

“The proper course…”

“If you keep abusing your authority like this, I won’t let you off the hook. This is about the Martial Alliance, not just a political struggle. You shouldn’t cross that line.”

It was the right thing to say.

It was the right thing to say, but it was also a meaningless statement to Yeon Ho-Jeong, who knew Moyong Gun’s secret.

“Alright. I’ll report to the higher-ups and send him to prison.”

“Good thinking. And one more thing. Report that you brought a swordsman from the Black Path into the Alliance. The situation is not good for saying you brought him in because of a personal connection. You’ll have to take responsibility for what you’ve been hiding.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“That’s not a difficult task.”

Moyong Gun nodded.

“Now, let’s start a proper conversation…”

“Well, I enjoyed the tea.”

“…What?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned around.

“I have nothing more to say. I’ve found out everything I needed to know.”

“…?!”

“Thank you for giving me so much information today.”

Before anyone could stop him, Yeon Ho-Jeong opened the door and left.

Moyong Gun’s face, which had been blankly staring at the door, suddenly contorted.

*Crash!*

The table, struck by a heavy fist, shattered into pieces.