Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 386

The man’s complexion was pale.

It wasn’t just the paleness of someone sick; it was the pallor of a corpse. His complexion was so unnatural that anyone would feel a sense of unease.

He was tall and slender, resembling a withered tree covered in snow during the dead of winter.

However, aside from that, his features were surprisingly ordinary.

People call the continent the Central Plains, but countless ethnic groups live in this land. Surprisingly, the man’s face had features that could be found in any of them. He didn’t look like someone from the Western Regions, but rather like someone you might see on the street from time to time.

He was shirtless, but his lower body was adorned with luxurious silk. He wore a golden necklace studded with countless unknown jewels, and every one of his ten fingers was adorned with rings, each also embedded with various gems.

Contrary to his appearance, his clothing and accessories were incredibly extravagant.

His strangely pale skin, ordinary features, and the excessively ornate clothing and accessories created a bizarre combination that strangely matched his mysterious aura. It would be hard to find someone like him anywhere in the world.

The man, who had been staring out the window for a long time, finally spoke.

“Have you not yet captured the master of the Twin Blades Sect?”

His voice was pleasant to hear.

At the man’s question, a young man who didn’t look even twenty years old bowed his head.

“We are in pursuit. However, his location has been pinpointed, so we believe we can eliminate him before the day is over.”

“Hmm, you’ve all worked hard.”

The man turned his body.

Chiriring.

The gold threads on his lower garments and the jewels connected to them clinked together, creating a clear sound.

“Once the Twin Blades Sect is dealt with, is the Silver Clan the only one left?”

“That is correct.”

The man, Hong Gwan, smiled faintly.

Though his features were ordinary, his pale complexion made even his small smile seem eerie.

“Once that’s settled, the rest will collapse on their own. You’ve all worked hard.”

“It’s nothing. You, the Night Lord, have worked much harder.”

Night Lord.

The Night Lord refers to the master of the night. In the world of assassins, it is a title of praise given to the best killer.

The strongest assassin in the martial world. Though he has never etched his name in the light of the martial world, he is the worst death god of the Jianghu [the martial world], whose existence is known only to a select few powerful figures in the underworld.

The title of Night Lord was passed down through generations to the Shadow God.

Chiriring! Chiriring!

With a light step, Hong Gwan went to his chair and sat down, resting his chin on his hand.

“It’s only been three months since I last saw you, but your skills have improved even more.”

“Thank you.”

“The balance between the Yin Cold White Stream and the Yin Fire Red Stream is well maintained. Once you combine the two martial arts and reach the Yin Emperor Realm, even the sect leaders of the Nine Great Sects will find it difficult to escape your grasp.”

The young man silently lowered his head.

Hong Gwan’s smile deepened.

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“……No.”

“Do you think I don’t know your heart? However, your achievements are ten years faster than your master, me. Considering that I was also called a genius of my generation, you can be said to have the greatest talent in the history of the Shadow God.”

“……”

“So, don’t be impatient and take it one step at a time. The moment right before reaching the Yin Emperor Realm is when the fire and cold energies fluctuate the most. If you make a mistake, you could lose everything you’ve gained.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Good, that’s enough.”

His voice was very warm. Could it be that even a figure at the pinnacle of the assassination world is still just a human?

However, unlike his voice, Hong Gwan’s gaze towards the young man was utterly indifferent. It was as cold and hard as if he were looking at an object, not a person.

“Once you capture the master of the Twin Blades Sect, return and focus on your training. You’ve worked hard.”

“Yes, Master.”

“You may leave now.”

“Yes.”

The young man bowed and left the room.

“……Hmm.”

Hong Gwan leaned back in his chair in a relaxed posture and looked up at the ceiling.

“He still remembers.”

Hong Gwan knew. His chief disciple had broken the Soul Seizing technique he had personally cast.

There are various secret techniques within the Soul Seizing technique. Some simply turn people into idiots or drive them mad, but advanced Soul Seizing techniques can selectively remove only the memories the caster desires.

The Soul Seizing technique that Hong Gwan had used on his disciple was one of those.

‘What a truly coveted talent.’

It was he who had killed his chief disciple’s family.

Originally, Hong Gwan had intended to kill his chief disciple as well. However, upon realizing that his disciple’s physique and talent were unprecedented, he kidnapped him, cast the Soul Seizing technique, and made him his disciple.

His plan was to raise him into a death god of the Central Plains and make him one of the Evil Kings of the Yin Sect.

“Well, how many things in this world go as one wishes? Tsk, it seems he wasn’t meant to be connected to evil and lust.”

Hong Gwan shook his head and clicked his tongue.

It was then.

‘……’

Hong Gwan’s eyes immediately sharpened.

“Show yourself.”

“……”

“Do you want to play ghost? Right in front of me?”

“……Hmm.”

Where, and how, did she enter?

From behind Hong Gwan, a woman emerged from the deep shadows.

Unlike Hong Gwan’s pale skin, she was a beauty with a moderately tanned complexion. She was tall like Hong Gwan, but her figure was curvy, and her attire was extremely simple.

Hong Gwan spoke without turning around.

“You’ve picked up bad habits while I haven’t seen you.”

“That’s what I should be saying.”

Flap!

Flapping her clothes, the woman went to the opposite side of Hong Gwan and sat down, crossing her legs.

“Your skills seem to be the same, but you’ve developed a slight hesitation. Is the water in the Central Plains that good? You’re not as sharp as you used to be.”

“Did you cross thousands of miles just to spout such nonsense?”

“Nonsense? If you hear my words as nonsense, you’ve really become dull. You weren’t like this before.”

The woman laughed as if amused.

It didn’t seem intentional, but the way she flicked her hair with her long fingers was very seductive.

“Have you forgotten your roots because you’re being praised as a Shadow God and Night Lord by those bug-like creatures?”

Killing intent flickered in the eyes of Hong Gwan, or rather, Yaryul Jeok.

“You’d better watch your mouth, So Bang.”

“That’s a relief. You haven’t forgotten my name.”

So Bang looked around the room.

“Oh, it’s incredibly luxurious? You’re wielding power that rivals the emperor of the continent, and you’ve decorated your room entirely with gold.”

“……”

“But you know, right? That the gold in this room, as well as the jewels you wear, your clothes, and even your life, all belong to the Yin Sect.”

Yaryul Jeok’s lips curled up.

“You didn’t come all this way just to confirm my faith, did you?”

“Of course not. But it’s also an important issue. You shouldn’t forget our sect just because you’ve been tainted by the riffraff of the continent, right? No one has been stationed on the continent as long as you have.”

“It’s an order from the higher-ups. No matter how much you’re considered one of the next Evil Kings, can you possibly disregard an order from the Great Teaching Hall?”

So Bang’s eyes sharpened.

The Great Teaching Hall was a place where only the highest echelons of the Yin Sect could enter.

An order issued from there was akin to a divine command. And a divine command was also the order of the sect leader.

In other words, Yaryul Jeok was asking So Bang if she was so great that she could interfere with the sect leader’s orders.

A matter that could lead to immediate execution for treason if a wrong word was spoken.

So Bang said in a subdued voice.

“I’ll explain why I’m here.”

“You’re not answering. I’ll ask again. Are you such a great being that you can disregard an order from the Great Teaching Hall?”

“Things are taking a strange turn.”

“If you don’t answer, I’ll report you to the higher-ups for treason.”

“The Shin Hwa Sect has been attacked.”

“……?!”

Yaryul Jeok’s face hardened.

“……What did you say?”

“The Shin Hwa Sect’s experts who controlled the military administration of Henan Province were wiped out by the experts of the Martial Alliance. The Shin Hwa Sect hasn’t officially announced it, but it seems that at least five or more armed-rank experts have died. It’s speculated that at least two of them were high-ranking armed experts.”

“……!!”

Yaryul Jeok’s face hardened even more.

The eighteen armed experts of the Shin Hwa Sect were truly formidable. To put it bluntly, they were strong enough to be compared to the armed experts of the Yin Sect, and especially the First Armed Expert was a true master on the verge of reaching the realm of a demigod.

“……I heard that the infiltration of Henan was led by the First Armed Expert, Beon Jak, himself?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s right? Did you hear me correctly? I said Beon Jak. Even if you and I fought, it would be hard to predict the outcome, and that Beon Jak was the leader.”

“I know.”

“But they were defeated?”

“Beon Jak survived. It was his subordinate armed experts who died.”

“Isn’t that the same thing? Beon Jak is strong. He’s also very capable in command. But how could they be defeated by the Martial Alliance, those riffraff?”

“The Shin Hwa Sect is keeping quiet about the matter, so we don’t know. The important thing is that only Beon Jak among the armed experts survived.”

“……!”

“However, there’s something strange.”

“Something strange?”

“The Shin Hwa Sect didn’t provide all the information… but they didn’t seem to think it was a big problem.”

“What?”

“……”

“You said that at least five or more of the eighteen armed experts died. But they don’t think it’s a big problem?”

“At least, that’s how it seems on the surface. It’s not just me. My master also felt the same way.”

Yaryul Jeok couldn’t understand at all.

‘What on earth is going on?’

So Bang said.

“Okay. The important thing isn’t the Shin Hwa Sect. It’s us.”

“……”

“Recently, you’ve been sowing discord among the White Path sects in the south to weaken the righteous faction, right?”

“Because it was an order from the higher-ups.”

“Yes. The problem is, how will the Martial Alliance, who killed the Shin Hwa Sect’s armed experts, view this situation?”

“……!!”

“It would be different if the Shin Hwa Sect had completely established itself in Henan, but it’s dangerous now. The Martial Alliance will send informants. In the worst case, they might send a real expert.”

“An expert.”

“Ah! The Shin Hwa Sect did tell us this.”

Tension rose on So Bang’s face.

“There were no Saintly Heaven level experts among those who fought the armed experts.”

Yaryul Jeok was greatly surprised.

He had assumed that a Saintly Heaven level expert must have been involved in the deaths of the armed experts. It had to be that way. Otherwise, there was no way they could have defeated the armed experts led by Beon Jak.

But it wasn’t?

“That’s why it’s more dangerous. They were defeated even though they weren’t Saintly Heaven level experts. That means…”

“That they know us well?”

“That’s what the higher-ups think.”

“……”

So Bang, who had been watching Yaryul Jeok with his eyes wide open, relaxed his posture.

“I’ll be staying here for about three months. Just in case the Martial Alliance’s riffraff catch wind of this. If a formidable expert comes, you might not be enough on your own, right?”

Yaryul Jeok couldn’t deny those words. The eighteen armed experts had been defeated like that.

However, as the Shadow God and Night Lord of the Central Plains, he could say this.

“Don’t worry.”

Crack!

All ten rings on his tightly clenched fist shattered.

“Because the rats I control have taken over the entire south.”