Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 599

The wind of betrayal blew, heavy yet not ruffling a single piece of clothing.

He approached, each step heavy, a mix of complexity and composure in his stride.

Sparks flew from Tang Gwan’s eyes.

It was the appearance of his younger brother, the one he had entrusted with the family affairs before leaving for the Alliance.

But the brother of then and the brother of now were vastly different.

The brother who had seen him off with a stoic face, looking a bit tired yet with a hint of excitement.

At the time, he had thought his brother was excited to see the head of the Tang Clan going to the newly formed Martial Alliance. His brother had always looked outward, more interested in the world than in the affairs of the family.

But now, he realized it was a grave misunderstanding.

His brother hadn’t been indifferent to the family. Rather, he was obsessed with it.

His brother hadn’t been more interested in the outside world than the family. He had merely been slowly laying the groundwork for his power in the outside world.

And now, that brother was appearing, having stolen his position.

“It’s been a while, elder brother.”

He called him elder brother.

A much more affectionate term than the word ‘traitor’ that had just come from Tang Sa-beon’s mouth.

But Tang Gwan felt disgust at the words.

Tang Ho’s face was full of pity as he looked at him. Even his voice was filled with sympathy.

It was truly a great performance. Anyone who didn’t know the truth would be completely fooled.

“I heard you were coming, but I never imagined you would come so recklessly.”

“Tang Ho.”

“It seems…”

Tang Ho’s eyes deepened.

“You don’t seem to have any intention of accepting the arrest warrant. I expected as much.”

“Arrest warrant?”

Tang Gwan’s cheek twitched.

“Who dares to force the master of the Great Tang Clan, here in the land of the Tangs?”

“No Tang can force the master of the Tang Clan, but a traitor is different.”

“A traitor, you say.”

“What exactly were you lacking?”

Beneath his expressionless face, a faint trace of pity and sorrow was visible.

His emotions were neither excessive nor overly indifferent.

That expression alone could captivate people. It was truly a terrifying performance, a real weapon of Tang Ho’s, far more useful than any martial art he possessed.

“What exactly were you lacking that you not only handed over the main family to foreign powers but also decided to give away Sichuan?”

“…It’s simply unbelievable.”

“Indeed. The position of the master of the Tang Clan means being the head of a family, and on a larger scale, the most powerful person in Sichuan. Here, you wield power no different from an emperor. How could you join hands with foreign powers?”

“…”

“How could you try to sell the lives of your own blood relatives to foreign powers? Tell me.”

The faces of those who had followed Tang Gwan were filled with confusion.

Tang Gwan had declared that he would enter through the main gate and reveal the truth. They had decided to watch him.

But seeing Tang Ho’s expression and hearing his voice, they were no longer sure of their judgment.

Tang Gwan could read the crowd’s minds changing every moment.

But he did not waver.

The crowd’s reaction was always fast, volatile, and honest. If he were to be swayed by that atmosphere, he would accomplish nothing.

He simply focused on Tang Ho.

He focused on his brother’s expression, his eyes, and his voice.

And more than anything, he focused on his own inner self.

Tang Gwan opened his mouth.

“So, you’re saying I tried to sell Sichuan by colluding with foreign powers.”

“Don’t try to deny it. Now that you’ve come all the way here, the truth is clear as day…”

“I came here myself to reveal that clear truth to the world. Without killing the troops you sent, the experts.”

“You shouldn’t say you spared them because you couldn’t kill them. And before that, how can you so confidently lie that you didn’t kill anyone?”

Tang Ho shook his head.

“Has lying become a daily routine for you now? I know you killed the Third Elder, the Fourth Elder, and the Fifth Elder.”

The murmuring grew louder.

Yet, Tang Gwan did not waver.

He smirked.

A small smile appeared on Tang Gwan’s lips.

A strange light flickered in Tang Ho’s eyes. To smile in a situation where he should be angry and raging?

“Are you talking about those morons?”

“Your language is harsh. Is it true that traitors are different in every way?”

“That’s too much, little brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can understand that you branded your brother, who went outside to gain power, as a traitor. If I think of it as a part of your true nature that you’ve been hiding so far, I can be angry but still accept it. But…”

“…”

“How dare you put such incompetent and greedy fools in the positions of elders of the Great Sichuan Tang Clan?”

A heavy aura emanated from Tang Gwan’s body.

“Even setting aside your shameless lies and unspeakable acts! If you wanted to become the master of the Tang Clan, you should have at least appointed capable people!”

“Don’t try to divert the issue.”

“Even so, if you showed such incompetence in choosing people, it means one of two things.”

“How can someone who has committed a great crime discuss appointments…”

“Either it’s a temporary measure to maintain your immediate power!”

Each word was spoken with force. Even Tang Ho, who had swayed so many people, couldn’t dare to open his mouth.

“Or it means you are incompetent!”

Tang Ho’s face hardened slightly.

Incompetent.

Today, many people had said, directly or indirectly, that he was less capable compared to Tang Gwan. And those words had caused extreme anger in Tang Ho.

Hearing those words directly from Tang Gwan made it difficult to maintain his composure.

He barely managed to hold back the urge to open his mouth and curse.

Tang Gwan noticed that Tang Ho’s breathing had become slightly rough.

His eyes gleaming, he continued.

“I committed treason?”

“…Don’t try to deny it.”

“It’s a ridiculous lie. It’s so absurd that even I’m starting to wonder if it’s true.”

“I’m just stating the truth.”

“Even if it were the truth, how can someone who is incompetent sit in that position?”

If he intended to take back the position of the master of the Tang Clan, there would be no need for this conversation.

Of course, Tang Ho would also have a plan. Tang Gwan’s intuition told him. That he had a hidden card. He shouldn’t act rashly.

But that didn’t matter.

The reason he was cornering Tang Ho in front of everyone was only one: to reveal the truth to the world and regain his legitimacy.

Resolving it with force was easy, but sometimes it could be a bad move. That was the case now.

A method that Tang Gwan wouldn’t have used or even thought of before entering the Martial Alliance.

The long life in the Martial Alliance had awakened Tang Gwan’s martial prowess, his values as a ruler, and his abilities as a leader.

“If I committed treason! You, the acting head, should have appointed someone more capable than you to that position! Not you, who was by my side! You should have found someone who could quickly manage the family and formally impeach me! But why are you sitting in that position?!”

Tang Ho’s face visibly hardened.

The meaning behind Tang Gwan’s words was clear. He had done this because of his desire for power to become the head of the family.

Tang Ho opened his mouth.

“No matter who sits in this position, the fact that you committed a crime punishable by death remains unchanged. Also, my appointments were not wrong.”

“Tell me. Why are you sitting in that position? Why do you call yourself the head of the family?”

“I’m warning you for the last time. If you truly care about the main family, kneel down in that spot and…”

“Why haven’t you arrested me yet?!”

Tang Gwan’s last words were like a final blow.

“Over the past few years, why haven’t you summoned me! Why haven’t you tried to stop me! Why have you been sitting there, enjoying your power until now?!”

“The position of the head of the family!”

Tang Ho’s voice had no choice but to grow louder.

“It’s not that simple! While the head of the family was trying to sell the family and the region, I’ve been struggling to manage the main family! I have no reason to listen to the biased accusations of someone who doesn’t know what has happened!”

“Did you visit our father?!”

“…!!”

In that instant, Tang Ho felt his mouth go dry.

Tang Gwan’s eyes blazed.

“If you truly wanted to brand me as a traitor, or if you wanted to capture me, a traitor, you should have just gone to our father! But why isn’t our father in the position of acting head of the family?!”

After the final blow comes the fatal blow.

Tang Ho’s face flushed red.

“Stop with the nonsense! You were the one who prevented the previous generation from participating in politics! You’re the one who imprisoned even our uncle, so what nonsense are you spouting?!”

“That’s why you’re incompetent! No matter how great the world I was trying to change was, what use are those laws and regulations in the face of the reality that the head of the family committed treason! You’re someone who doesn’t have the ability to change this outrageous reality!”

“Shut up!”

“A family exists because of blood ties!!”

Thud!

Tang Gwan’s final shout was like a massive storm.

His sincerity and soul were imbued in his loud and powerful voice.

The power of that voice was immense. It was large enough to penetrate every corner of the Tang family’s territory, which was wider than most castles, and everyone who heard it felt a dense power that made them tremble.

“A family exists because of my parents, my siblings, and my children! What use are rules and laws that are just empty shells when there is no one to govern with them!”

“Enough!”

“How did you drive out the branch families? Just to live among pure bloodlines? Then, are the branch families not our blood?”

“I told you to shut up!”

“We lived together not because they were powerful! But because they were our brothers and sisters who shared our blood! There may be a distinction between the direct and branch families, but the head of the family is the father and the responsible one for all of them!”

Tang Gwan pointed at Tang Ho with his index finger.

A terrifying rage emanated from the tip of his stiffly extended finger.

“You are not qualified to be the head of the family.”

“…”

“Not only did you betray your brother for power, but you also drove out the branch families. It’s a stain on the history of the Tang family that the main family was shaken even for a moment by such an incompetent and immoral person!”

“Black Blood Unit Commander!”

At Tang Ho’s shout, Tang Sa-beon bowed his head.

“Arrest that man immediately! Make sure he neither lives nor dies until he confesses the truth!”

“I, Tang Gwan, the twenty-seventh head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, command!”

A swirling, deep green aura erupted from Tang Gwan’s body.

“From this moment on, I will arrest Tang Ho, the immoral person of the main family and the great sinner who has tarnished the family’s name by kidnapping and murdering civilians of Sichuan. Anyone who helps him will be summarily judged in the name of the head of the family!”

Boom!

The extreme speed of the Thunder God Steps exploded beneath Tang Gwan’s feet.