Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 595

“……!!”

Dang-Ho’s face was now distorted enough for anyone to see.

“Master.”

Dang Yeo-Seon’s face was no different. Rather, he was completely terrified by the information coming in every moment.

“W-what should we do? Dang-Gwan has already entered the inner compound…”

“Shut up!”

A thunderous voice filled with terrifying inner energy. Dang Yeo-Seon staggered back involuntarily.

Dang-Ho’s lips twitched.

“These bastards dare!”

He had given orders thinking they were trustworthy, but it seemed nothing had been handled properly.

Moreover, he only learned that Dang-Gwan had arrived at the family estate when the man had already crossed the outer compound and was approaching the inner compound.

It was the result of a lack of intelligence. With most of their intelligence agents scattered throughout Sichuan, the actual intelligence capabilities remaining within the family were not very good.

However, even so, the report was too late.

The dispatched troops were said to be useless, and Dang-Gwan, who had been at Noksu Inn, had reached the inner compound.

Losing the elders was not a big deal, but losing their immediate combat power for any eventuality was a painful mistake.

In fact, all of it was due to Dang-Ho’s misjudgment.

Of course, Yeon Ho-Jeong and his group were all incredibly skilled. But what if Dang-Ho had gone out in time, actively assessed the situation, and made a decision?

Perhaps Dang-Gwan wouldn’t have even thought of entering the inner compound. Paeyul would have already been followed by the masters of the Elder Council, and the Black Wind Squad and Green Clothes Squad would have been firmly defending the inner compound without panicking.

The situation had turned this bad with just a few misjudgments. Now, Dang-Ho was showing himself as a negative example of how important a leader’s ability is.

However, even Dang-Ho couldn’t help but act proactively if he was pushed back this much in an instant.

“Yeo-Seon.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Take this.”

Dang Yeo-Seon’s face was filled with shock when he saw the dagger Dang-Ho gave him.

“M-Master?!”

Dang-Ho’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

“Go and open the Ghost Gate.”

Ghost Gate.

It was not the ultimate weapon known only to the head of the Dang clan.

Rather, there were quite a few people who knew of the Ghost Gate’s existence. It was a rumor that couldn’t be stopped even if they tried.

That’s why Dang Yeo-Seon was surprised. Opening the Ghost Gate meant that the Dang family was participating in the war.

“Master.”

“Can’t you go and open it right now!”

Dang Yeo-Seon lowered his head.

“Y-yes, I understand.”

The face of Dang Yeo-Seon, who was leaving the office, was terribly dark.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

In less than half a day, no, not even an hour, the peaceful Dang family had been completely turned upside down.

Just an hour ago, he had dreamed of becoming the next head of the family. He was building a rosy future, filled with the expectation that he could seize power in the Dang family instead of the talentless Dang Yang-Seon.

But now?

‘Was the main family this much of a house of cards?’

The Dang family’s power was immense. It wasn’t a subjective judgment; the Dang family’s power was actually considered the best in Sichuan.

But in less than an hour, Dang-Gwan had entered the inner compound, and the dispatched troops had become useless.

Dang Yeo-Seon wanted to scream.

‘Why?!’

Was bloodline unavoidable?

There was no way Dang Yeo-Seon could see what Dang-Ho couldn’t.

It was a misjudgment, but they were forgetting something important. Apart from the attackers’ power and actions, and the emergency situation caused by the Beggars’ Union’s information disruption, they had overly disregarded the history made by a single person.

Dang-Gwan.

The Sichuan overlord who became the head of the family after passing the most difficult and challenging test in the history of the Dang clan.

Even if he didn’t give a strong sense of trust, the Dang family under Dang-Gwan’s rule was clearly in its prime. And many people feared and respected Dang-Gwan, who led that golden age.

Furthermore, he was the first head of the family to resolutely block the intervention of the previous head and the old masters.

In other words, the current Dang family was a new generation of the Dang family, refined to move thoroughly under Dang-Gwan’s orders.

Dang-Gwan managed everything, including the management of masters, the location of troops, the flow of information, and the timing of the activation of internal formations. It was completely different from the time when the previous head, Dang Hyeong, lived.

There was no way Dang-Ho, who had not managed any of that and had quickly taken the vacant position of the head, could properly manage the family.

It was all Dang-Ho’s fault that clear orders were not given to the family’s intelligence agents, that the masters were panicking, and that elite troops were sent to unnecessary places.

A man who was blinded by his desires and did not look around.

Even if he sat in the vacant seat and incited people to call himself the head of the family, he could not properly manage this great family.

‘But…’

Fear and anticipation crossed Dang Yeo-Seon’s face.

‘If the Ghost Gate is opened, things will change.’

No matter how great a master Dang-Gwan was, he would not be able to handle the Ghost Gate’s forces.

‘Just catch Dang-Gwan. Just Dang-Gwan!’

Dang Yeo-Seon’s belief was blind.

And that belief was the same for Dang-Ho.

Bang!

The wall wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Dang-Ho, who had left a fist mark on the solid stone wall, sneered in a cold voice.

“Dare to crawl into the inner compound? How presumptuous! But it’s rather good, I think. No matter how strong you are, you won’t be able to withstand the demons of the Ghost Gate.”

The situation was complicated, but if it was all happening because of Dang-Gwan, the solution was simple.

Dang-Gwan had to die.

If Dang-Gwan died, everything in the Dang clan would be his. If he just appeased those who followed him, there would be no problem.

Dang-Ho truly believed that.

It was then.

“Things have gotten big.”

Startled, Dang-Ho looked to the side.

There, someone wearing a white mask stood with their arms crossed. They were wearing a loose-fitting cloak that covered down to their ankles, and it looked eerie, as if only a white face was floating in the darkness.

“With this, can you really be called a proper head of the Dang family?”

It was a strange voice.

A soft voice that was barely audible. The voice was clearly small.

But every subtle change in the pronunciation of that small voice could be heard.

Dang-Ho swallowed.

“You… when did you get here?”

“A little while ago.”

“…!!”

“It was quite a sight. You’re even opening the Ghost Gate?”

“That’s right.”

“Opening the Ghost Gate… With that, even Dang-Gwan won’t be able to hold out. But half of the demons of the Ghost Gate will lose their lives?”

“That won’t be the case, and this is the main family’s business. It’s none of your concern.”

Whoosh!

In an instant, Dang-Ho almost screamed. That was because the strange man was suddenly right in front of him, holding the white mask up to his face.

“None of my concern?”

“…”

“Hey, Dang-Ho. That’s a very disappointing thing to say, isn’t it? You’ve already sat in the position of head of the family that you wanted so much, have you already forgotten who has been supporting you for fifteen years?”

“…”

“Who was the one who made you realize that your terrible desire could become a reality?”

“…”

“Who was the one who helped you cultivate the masters of the organization, avoiding the eyes of those stubborn intelligence agents, even during Dang-Gwan’s reign?”

“…”

“Who gave the arrogant bastards of Qingcheng [a famous Taoist mountain] and Emei [another famous Taoist mountain] desire? Who created the foundation of the Paradise Lodge?”

Dang-Ho said in a cracked voice.

“At least it wasn’t you.”

“Oh?”

“Wasn’t it you people? You were just handing over the money you received from the higher-ups.”

No more voice was heard from within the white mask.

Trickle.

Cold sweat ran down Dang-Ho’s neck.

The mask, with no patterns and only two crescent-shaped holes for the eyes, was still creepy to look at.

“…That’s not wrong.”

The man wearing the mask, the White-Masked Man, stepped back.

“Yes, that’s not wrong. But what, does it change anything?”

“There is a change. I’m grateful that you helped me, but wasn’t that because you also wanted something from me?”

“…”

“Mutual benefit. That’s our relationship.”

“…That’s also not wrong.”

The White-Masked Man shrugged.

He was dressed eerily, but his words and actions were strangely light.

“Yes, as you said, we wanted mutual benefit. That’s why we helped you for fifteen years. But the reward we were supposed to receive hasn’t even been prepared yet, and you’re about to collapse?”

“Don’t worry. I will never collapse.”

“Anyone can say that. I also want to live for a thousand years. But will that happen?”

“…”

“And you’re forgetting something important. There’s no guarantee that there will only be one intruder besides Dang-Gwan, is there?”

“…?!”

“Don’t you feel it? That huge fire energy shining like a ray of sun in the distance?”

Dang-Ho turned his head.

When he expanded his senses, he really felt an enormous fire energy.

The concentration of that fire energy was at a level he had never seen before. It was a much greater fire energy that was continuously burning than the firepower of the Dang family’s fire energy at the moment of explosion.

Alarm spread across Dang-Ho’s face.

‘T-this can’t be!’

He hadn’t noticed even though such an overwhelming fire energy was surging. It was entirely his fault. Because he was completely immersed in the urgent reality and the existence of Dang-Gwan, he didn’t even know about the appearance of a being emitting such a huge fire energy.

Dang-Ho looked back at the White-Masked Man.

“Could it be you people…?!”

“Shin-Hwa [a cult known for their fire techniques]? No, no. The fire energy that those fire-playing bastards emit is fundamentally different in quality. Besides, this is something that our sect is doing, would Shin-Hwa try to overturn our table?”

“Then who the hell is that!”

“Who else could it be? Who in the current world, except for the Shin-Hwa cult, can emit that much firepower?”

“…?!”

“It’s a guy named Yeon Ho-Jeong.”

Dang-Ho’s mouth dropped open.

“Y-Yeon Ho-Jeong is definitely… !”

“You should have realized the moment Dang-Gwan suddenly appeared. That all the information you received was disrupted.”

“…!!”

It was a complete backstab.

From the beginning, he had been looking at the situation wrong. Dang-Ho was shocked by the situation that had been progressing without his knowledge. Even though he was here!

“Have you not felt anything while looking at Dang-Gwan? Did you think that if you just sat in this position, your subordinates would take care of everything?”

Dang-Ho’s eyes were bloodshot.

In this situation, even his partner was saying that Dang-Gwan was a greater person than him. He understood, but he felt like he was going crazy.

“Shall I help you?”

The soft voice of the White-Masked Man was like a snake.

“I’ll help you. If you agree to my deal.”

“…What?”

The White-Masked Man stated the terms of the deal.

Dang-Ho’s face contorted.

“Get lost! I’ll take care of my own business!”

The White-Masked Man shrugged and laughed. No laughter was heard.

“Now that I’ve come this far, I’ll watch. If it seems dangerous, tell me. That you’ll make a deal. Whether your voice is loud or small, I’ll definitely hear it.”

The White-Masked Man, with his arms crossed and leaning against the wall, looked out the window.

The heat of the battlefield could be felt in the air.

And the stench of poison blood too.

“It’s a good smell. It’s filled with madness. A new world always blooms in the midst of mad blood.”