Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 423

Screeeech!

So-bang squinted as light flooded in through the crack in the door.

Though a small amount of light had been coming in through the small window, it was so faint that it barely illuminated the inside of the solitary cell. The sudden bright light was so jarring that it brought tears to her eyes.

Then it happened.

Pshhh.

So-bang’s body froze.

The hand covering her face trembled. The intense killing intent emanating from the man entering the door was constricting her mind and body.

Throb!

A terrible pain shot up from her broken thigh.

She had managed to set the bone, but her inner energy was sealed, her meals were inadequate, and the environment was poor. If it weren’t for the faint true energy that permeated her entire body, her wound would have festered and killed her already.

Fortunately, the bone was almost healed, and the pain was minimal. However, the moment she faced the man’s killing intent, the extreme pain from her thigh seemed to make her mind go blank.

“So-bang, was it?”

The low voice created a pressure that made it hard to breathe.

“As expected. Even with your inner energy sealed, your recovery is fast. It’s impossible with a body that’s only been moderately trained.”

Screeeech! Thud!

The door slammed shut.

So-bang looked at the man with wary eyes.

The man, Yeon Ho-jeong, sat down opposite So-bang and placed a small bundle on the floor. The space was so small that the distance between them was less than a foot.

“Eat.”

“……”

“Don’t want to eat? You must be very hungry.”

“……What are you up to?”

Yeon Ho-jeong tilted his head.

His eyes, which seemed to burn with a crimson glow, were strangely bewildered.

The look in his eyes and his expression didn’t match at all. It made him look even more eerie.

“Up to?”

So-bang swallowed and spoke.

“Did you poison the food? If you’re going to kill me, just do it cleanly.”

“You speak well. If I were going to kill you, I would have done it already. I don’t do things like poisoning precious food.”

“Maybe you intend to kill me more painfully.”

“It’s understandable that you think that way since you don’t know anything about me.”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.

A shallow curve formed at the corner of his lips. His red eyes, which were as hot as a volcano yet strangely cold, doubled So-bang’s heart rate.

“There are so many torture methods that each moment will feel like a year, it’s hard to count them all.”

“……!!”

“Don’t turn away from the favor I’m giving you. Isn’t your life already hanging by a thread?”

So-bang’s face twisted into a sneer. Anyone could tell it was a forced expression.

“You kept me alive just in case, and now you finally have a use for me? You’re so thrifty.”

“You have to be thrifty to live well. I don’t hold onto things I’ve thrown away, but I’m the type to use anything I’ve worked hard to get.”

“……”

“Like you said, I kept you alive just in case. But now that things have turned out this way, I have a use for you. So, get good treatment, eat well, and focus on your physical strength.”

“Just kill me.”

“That’s not what someone who was desperate to live would say.”

So-bang’s face subtly hardened.

On the other hand, Yeon Ho-jeong’s smile deepened. And as his smile deepened, so did his oppressive aura.

“There’s probably no one in this world who hates the Demonic Cult as much as I do. Yet, I kept you alive. You, a high-ranking member of the Demonic Cult.”

“……”

“It’s not my hobby to show such uncharacteristic patience in a situation filled with killing intent. So, why do you think I didn’t kill you on the spot?”

“……”

“You’re different from Ya Yul-jeok. Before loyalty, your obsession with life is incredibly strong.”

“Shut up!”

So-bang’s face flushed red.

“I’m not someone who would be shaken by such an insult! Kill me now! I’d rather die than be used by someone like you!”

“Even if your life is guaranteed?”

“That’s ridiculous…”

“Once I think I’ve used you enough, I’ll let you go. I won’t stop you from living in any region of the Central Plains [the heartland of China] or returning to the Demonic Cult.”

“……!!”

So-bang felt momentarily speechless.

Yeon Ho-jeong relaxed his posture. He sat with one hand on the floor and the other knee raised, as if he were in his own room.

It was a comfortable and open posture, yet it was also a good way to subtly pressure the other person.

Yeon Ho-jeong was good at this. He knew how to create the atmosphere he wanted by using the right tone and posture depending on the other person’s psychology.

“I don’t care what kind of personality you have. But one thing is certain. You have a strong obsession with life. If necessary, you’d even betray your own group to live.”

“Shut your mouth!”

“If not, then die.”

“……What?”

Whoooom.

The red glow emanating from Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes intensified.

It gradually changed from the flame-like color of the Vermilion Bird’s Fire to a sticky, blood-like color. His killing intent alone was enough to burst the other person’s meridians [energy channels in the body].

“Commit suicide.”

“……!!”

“I don’t want to dirty my hands just to take your life. Kill yourself.”

“Y-you bastard!”

“You want to die so badly, so why are you still alive? Just die on your own. Of course, I won’t be courteous enough to bury you properly, so you’ll probably become food for some wild dogs in the mountains, but I guess you’re prepared for that?”

“……”

“What the hell are you living for? If you wanted to, you could have killed yourself a long time ago. Did you really think we’d welcome you with open arms? Did you think we’d send you back to the Demonic Cult peacefully? You’re not that stupid, are you?”

“……”

“Or maybe, did you think you could escape?”

So-bang couldn’t answer.

In fact, she herself didn’t know why she hadn’t committed suicide. The Blood Sound Evil Art [a martial art technique] was completely unusable due to the immense sealing of her inner energy, and the sealing power was getting stronger over time.

She could sense it. Unless the person who sealed her inner energy released it, she would never be able to use the Blood Sound Evil Art again.

In other words, escape was absolutely impossible. The other party wasn’t stupid, so they would never release her inner energy.

That meant the only options left were for the other party to use or torture her. If that was the case, So-bang should have committed suicide. She should have died for the cult. She couldn’t reveal information because she couldn’t withstand torture.

But she hadn’t committed suicide. No, she hadn’t even considered the idea of suicide.

So-bang’s eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

‘Why?’

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been watching So-bang silently, chuckled and stood up.

“Be honest with yourself. You’ve come too far to try to save face with all sorts of excuses.”

“……You don’t know.”

So-bang’s eyes were bloodshot. Her eyes, which were so red that they looked like they were about to shed tears of blood, were filled with subtle fear and confusion.

“You don’t know. How terrifying our cult is.”

“I don’t care.”

“The cult never forgives traitors.”

“That’s nothing new. It’s not just your damned Demonic Cult. No organization in the world forgives traitors.”

“It’s not just that! The god of our cult is…”

“If there really is a god that the Demonic Cult serves, that god must be an evil god. What kind of god would be so heartless to their own followers?”

“You don’t know about the doctrines!”

“I don’t need to know those doctrines to live. And it seems like you don’t either.”

“……!”

“If you feel fear rather than reverence when talking about a god, then you don’t need to believe in that god in the first place. You seem to see your god as an object of fear rather than respect and worship, and I don’t understand why you live like that.”

So-bang’s eyes widened.

She had never thought about it this way before. Although her desire for life was so strong that she had considered ‘betrayal,’ she was still just an ordinary cult member who had been brainwashed by the doctrines since childhood.

Yeon Ho-jeong turned around.

“The bundle contains medicinal food. My subordinates are going without even an extra piece of meat to make that medicinal food.”

“……”

“Eat it and recover properly. I’ll come back tomorrow, and if you still haven’t made up your mind by then, I’ll kill you myself.”

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

The sunlight coming in through the small window illuminated the bundle. So-bang’s face, as she looked at the bundle, was filled with immense confusion.

A moment later.

Rustle.

The sound of a bundle being untied echoed in the solitary cell.

“Chief.”

“Speak.”

“The prisoner has finished her meal.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes turned cold.

“I understand.”

Yeo Guk bowed his head.

“Then.”

“Oh, and Ok-cheong?”

“She’s much better. Her recovery is getting faster and faster. The physician says she’ll be able to use her martial arts without any problems in about five days.”

“I understand. Take good care of her.”

“Yes.”

With that, Yeo Guk left the room.

Moyong Woo, who had been sitting opposite him, sighed.

“Yeon-je.”

Not Chief, but Yeon-je. It meant he was going to talk about something personal, not official business.

“Do you really have to go that far?”

“What?”

“About that Demonic Cultist, So-bang.”

“Hmm?”

Moyong Woo’s face darkened.

“Didn’t you put a chronic poison in that medicinal food?”

“So what?”

“……”

“I don’t trust the enemy. How can I let her recover peacefully when I don’t know when or how she’ll turn on me?”

“But…”

“If you’re going to turn the horse’s head, you need the reins. If I’m not going to kill her cleanly, I have to use her until her bones are crushed.”

Yeon Ho-jeong took a sip of water.

The dryness in his mouth was relieved.

“The atmosphere in Guangdong is still chaotic. To quickly get a grip on this situation, that damned woman’s existence is indispensable.”

Moyong Woo sighed.

“Well, what can I say to Yeon-je? However, today the physician came to me and said that it was too evil for the Martial Alliance [a righteous group of martial artists] to do such a thing.”

“Tell them to curse me.”

“That’s not the problem. The poison was made based on the medicine that the physician prescribed, wasn’t it?”

Moyong Woo looked at Sama Hyeon, who was quietly folding his arms to the side.

“Although that friend made it.”

Sama Hyeon was still silent. He hadn’t been here for long anyway.

Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.

“There’s no room for forgiveness for the enemy in my justice. If the other party is an enemy, I’ll deceive them a thousand times and use them ten thousand times.”

“……”

“It’s better to stop talking about this issue.”

“Hoo, I understand.”

Moyong Woo stood up from his seat.

“I’ll be going now. Yeon-je, you should rest well too.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, who was watching Moyong Woo about to leave the room, suddenly spoke.

“Commander Moyong.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Once this is over, I’ll go to the Tangma Army [a powerful military force] immediately.”

Moyong Woo smiled.

“It’s an honor.”

With those words, Moyong Woo left the room.