Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 496

“W-What in the world?!”The head guard of the Military Affairs Department stared out the window, his face a mask of shock. He was not easily fazed, but the explosions erupting all around were enough to startle even him. He turned to Jeagal Mun-Ho.

“Military Advisor!”

“Do not act rashly,” Jeagal Mun-Ho said, his voice calm. At least, he appeared calm on the surface. In contrast, Tang Gwan’s face was a study in cold fury.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“It seems a spy is making a desperate attempt.”

“I know that much.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho gazed out the window. The pale moonlight felt particularly cold.

“There’s been no contact until this hour… It’s unlikely that Clan Leader Moyong would make a mistake, so it’s not related to the Bok Ho situation [Bok Ho refers to a specific operation or event].”

“If it’s not the Bok Ho situation, then what?”

“It’s either Seung-Hyeon Jin-In or Pung Byeok-Ja. But if it were Seung-Hyeon Jin-In, then Yeon Dae-Su, having confirmed Pung Byeok-Ja’s movements, would have contacted us immediately or come here directly.”

“Then?!”

“Yes. With that, I think we can be more than certain that the spy is Pung Byeok-Ja.”

Tang Gwan’s cheek twitched. He thought of Pung Byeok-Ja—a face that was cheerful yet bold, and at the same time, showed the composure and straightforwardness of an elder from the orthodox sects.

“That damned bastard… !”

“It’s more than likely, but we still don’t know the exact situation. It would be best to wait until we receive separate contact from the Military Affairs Department’s intelligence unit.”

“Alright, let’s assume we can’t be sure who the spy is yet.”

Tang Gwan pointed out the window.

“There have been explosions not once, but twice. You felt it too, didn’t you, Military Advisor? That these explosions are not ordinary.”

“I did.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho touched his lips.

“The first explosion wasn’t caused by gunpowder. To be precise, gunpowder did explode, but the fire energy is excessively intense. That means we should assume that a large amount of oil, rather than gunpowder, turned the area into a sea of flames.”

“I think so too.”

“On the other hand, the second explosion…”

“It’s gunpowder. Probably Jincheon-Roi [a type of explosive device].”

Experts in hidden weapons naturally possessed deep knowledge of all kinds of projectile weapons, as well as gunpowder. In this era, there were few people who possessed as much knowledge about gunpowder and fire bombs as Tang Gwan.

“And it wasn’t just one or two. Dozens exploded. Considering the sound of the explosions and the subtle differences in the intervals of the chain explosions, it’s clear that it’s an improved version, not the existing Jincheon-Roi.”

Just by listening to the size and pattern of the explosions, he could tell the type of fire bomb and whether it had been improved. Tang Gwan’s insight was truly remarkable.

“In other words, the first explosion was to destroy evidence, and the second explosion was…”

“To draw attention for escape.”

“Indeed.”

“Shouldn’t we deploy troops right now?”

“No, we shouldn’t.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho sipped his tea. Despite the urgent situation, he did not lose his composure or composure.

“They have no limits. At least, that’s what it seems like from what we’ve seen so far. If they were to pretend to escape and then re-enter the inner walls to attack the Military Affairs Department or the officials, we would be completely helpless.”

“…”

“Stay where you are. Even if it’s frustrating, that’s what we must do right now.”

Tang Gwan frowned. Sitting and watching the situation unfold wasn’t difficult, but not knowing the immediate situation was frustrating.

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes deepened.

‘If it really is Pung Byeok-Ja, the second explosion is suspicious.’

The location of the second explosion was an area densely populated with the Punishment Division, two combat units’ residences, and four or five other organizations. Of course, it was densely populated in name only. Considering the vast scale of the inner walls, this level of explosion wouldn’t have caused damage to many organizations.

‘The answer is one, the contact or manager is over there.’

It was truly an absurd situation.

‘With this level of explosion, there’s no way Yeon Dae-Su would have missed Pung Byeok-Ja. The enemy would know that much as well. Then…’

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s pupils dilated.

‘Is it not to save the spy, but rather, did Pung Byeok-Ja sacrifice himself so that the contact or manager could live?’

If that were the case… this would completely turn the tables.

Jeagal Mun-Ho opened his mouth.

“It’s fortunate that we’ve shaken off the spy. Of course, it would be better if we could catch the spy and the contact and manager connected to the spy, but the results so far are sufficient.”

“It’s not sufficient. The moment we know a spy exists, we’re already at a disadvantage. It’s just that we’ve taken measures to prevent further damage in a war we’ve already lost.”

“Yes, Clan Leader Tang’s words are also correct. However, the act of catching the spy itself is also an attack on the Three Sects [referring to a powerful group of martial arts sects]. It’s not a perfect victory, but at least it can be seen as the moment we raise the beacon of counterattack.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho closed his eyes.

“It’s also the moment when the reason for Yeon Dae-Su to head to the Mukryong Division [a specific division within the organization] becomes more certain.”

Now, the attention of the Three Sects will inevitably be focused on the Martial Alliance. The pressure will be immense. In that situation, if the Mukryong Division steps up properly, the attention of the Three Sects will also be dispersed.

‘Of course, that’s a matter for the future.’

Right now, we need to focus on how to resolve this situation. In that atmosphere, which had become endlessly heavy, just as the two men were lost in thought without a word.

“Military Advisor!”

The two men’s eyes lit up.

“We’ve received contact from Yeon Dae-Su! The spy, Pung Byeok-Ja, has self-destructed, and the contact is also dead! He says he’s going to catch the manager now!”

Jeagal Mun-Ho jumped up.

“What is the manager’s identity?”

“He doesn’t know! But he says it’s likely to be someone who was imprisoned in the Punishment Division!”

Thud!

Jeagal Mun-Ho slammed the table. The anxiety he had been holding back was expressed as anger. But even so, his eyes were cold.

“Where did the manager escape to?”

“That, too, is not known exactly!”

Jeagal Mun-Ho said hastily.

“Issue a red alert throughout the entire inner walls right now! From now on, no one is allowed to enter or leave the inner walls! All warriors, except for the minimum number of people to clean up the explosion site, must completely secure the walls of the inner and outer walls!”

“Yes, yes!”

“And Clan Leader Tang.”

“Speak.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s face contorted.

“Please head to the entrance of the prison! Block anyone who tries to enter! If anyone tries to enter rashly, subdue them regardless of the reason!”

He didn’t know why he was suddenly mentioning the prison. But Tang Gwan didn’t argue with him.

Whoosh!

Tang Gwan’s figure, which had leaped out of the window, disappeared in an instant.

* * *

Whoooosh!

Having escaped from Pung Byeok-Ja’s poison formation, Yeon Ho-Jeong contacted the Military Affairs Department’s intelligence unit and then headed straight for the Punishment Division.

‘It’s incredible.’

He was able to escape because he had anticipated that Pung Byeok-Ja’s trap would be poison or explosives. If it hadn’t been for that, even Yeon Ho-Jeong wouldn’t have been safe.

Sizzle!

While running at a terrifying speed, Yeon Ho-Jeong suddenly heard a faint sound coming from his shoulder. He tore off the clothing on his shoulder in an instant.

Flap! Sizzle!

The torn clothing began to melt, emitting smoke. It was a truly vicious poison. No, it was closer to bone-melting powder. Even a master of poison from the Tang Clan, unless they had reached the level of a poison master or had taken definite measures beforehand, would be poisoned even if they knew about it.

Chiririring!

The exposed left arm was swollen. The black-gray dragon shackles were wrapped tightly around the clear muscles.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

After changing direction several times in the air, Yeon Ho-Jeong saw Jeagal Ayeon with a surprised expression. Jeagal Ayeon shouted as she saw Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“Ho… !”

Swoosh!

Hugging her and running in an instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong said.

“You know how to put out fires at explosion sites, right?”

“Huh? Ah, I do!”

“Put out the fire in the Punishment Division. As quickly as possible!”

There were many things he wanted to say and hear, but Jeagal Ayeon also knew the seriousness of the situation.

“Okay!”

Whoooosh!

As Yeon Ho-Jeong closed the distance with all his might, he finally saw the chaotic state of the Punishment Division.

‘This is insane!’

The Punishment Division, less than half a quarter of an hour after the explosion, was a complete mess.

“Aaaargh!”

“Break down the walls, break them down! We have to put out the fire!”

“Save the people first! The person buried under the wall over there! That person is still alive!”

“Bring sand! Quickly!”

Numerous people were moving in perfect order to put out the fire in the Punishment Division and rescue people.

‘It’s incredible.’

He couldn’t tell how many Jincheon-Roi had exploded. None of the buildings in the vast Punishment Division were intact.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shouted.

“We have to save people first!”

“Don’t worry!”

Whirr!

Yeon Ho-Jeong threw Jeagal Ayeon into the air. Jeagal Ayeon, who had flown into the air, landed in front of the Punishment Division’s gate with a stylish movement technique.

Thud!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed as he stepped on the wall of the Punishment Division that had not collapsed and flew up.

‘There.’

Even within the Punishment Division, which had become a mess due to the explosion, he noticed a place that was relatively intact. It was the area connected to the hill, the closest point from the Punishment Division to the outer walls.

Swoosh!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been shot out with extreme speed using Blood Wing Sky Dance [a martial arts technique], landed on the ground.

‘……!’

He saw a deeply dug-out ground and a large box rolling to one side. It must have been the box that contained the Jincheon-Roi.

Whoooosh!

The Yeon Family’s Divine Core [a concept related to internal energy cultivation] rotated, scattering a vast amount of true energy throughout his body. But now was not the time to use force. He converted the true energy that was spreading to his limbs into Black Tortoise energy [a specific type of energy] and focused it on the spinal cord connected to his brain.

Whoosh!

His vision brightened, and time flowed more slowly. His perception ability became more than twice as strong as usual. It was a method of directly pouring true energy into the nerves to enhance the perception ability itself. Considering the method of true energy operation, this method was excessively dangerous. If he made a mistake, he could become paralyzed, or even die instantly. It required extremely delicate internal energy control.

The most effective way was to use the powerful White Tiger energy and Vermilion Bird energy. However, he had never tried such an act even during the Dark Emperor era. It felt like he would really die.

‘I see it.’

In the slowed-down world, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes read the escapee’s footprints.

‘Towards the outer walls, he crossed the hill.’

Swoosh!

As Yeon Ho-Jeong crossed the hill, he saw a continuous trail. A trace he would never have seen under normal circumstances. The footprints, which were barely even traces, the flow of the wind, the smell of gunpowder, and the smell of sweat that was released due to tension, all told him the direction of the escapee’s movement.

He couldn’t move as fast as before, but it was a great relief that he could keenly see the enemy’s path. Yeon Ho-Jeong maximized his perception ability and chased after the escapee at less than half his usual speed.

How long had it been?

‘……!’

The trail stopped. If he followed the path, the escapee should have passed through the outer walls. But the smell and footprints did not go beyond the outer walls.

‘Right.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s pupils contained the darkness of the Black Tortoise energy.

‘Back into the inner walls?!’

He should have escaped beyond the outer walls, but this guy went back into the inner walls.

Where in the inner walls?

In an instant, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face contorted.

“The prison!”

Whoosh!

He withdrew the Black Tortoise energy and ran at extreme speed.