Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 680

Why?

Gu-yun pondered. It was as if time itself had slowed to a crawl.

Perhaps that was why his charging senior’s face was so vividly clear.

The wrinkles, the contours of his face, his expression, the look in his eyes.

And even the emotions that churned within.

‘Senior.’

Gu-yun couldn’t comprehend why Yeo Gwang was behaving this way.

Yet, a sense of unease had always lingered within him. Yeo Gwang was powerful and ruthless, but he also possessed an extreme side.

However, he usually kept his emotions in check. Though somewhat arrogant, his devotion to Jongnam was unparalleled, earning him both fear and respect from his subordinates.

That was why Gu-yun had tried to be more easygoing.

Even among the senior disciples, he wanted to show the younger ones different facets of adulthood. He wanted them to see that Jongnam had adults like the rigid and harsh Yeo Gwang, as well as adults like the Sect Leader, who were full of compromise and fairness.

Then, what about himself?

By nature, he was hot-blooded and not serious, so he had to become a relaxed and patient adult. No one had told him to do so, but he felt compelled to change himself.

Now, thirty years later, Gu-yun barely remembered his original nature. It was a profound transformation.

Was that why?

Even with Yeo Gwang’s expression, with that inexplicable rage, he felt a sense of calm within himself.

Even as he watched the sword drawn from his waist, aimed directly at his chest.

‘Eldest Senior Brother.’

Gu-yun closed his eyes.

‘What made you so tyrannical, Senior?’

He couldn’t resist. No, he wouldn’t resist.

After resolving to change himself, he had never once cursed at a subordinate. Even when he went out to punish evildoers, he tried his best to reform them.

That habit, that ingrained nature, controlled his body.

‘Please, come to your senses!’

Clang!

At that moment, a tremendous resonance and a fierce gust of sword wind swept outwards.

Gu-yun opened his eyes.

Surprise flickered across his face.

“Regardless of your position in the sect.”

The calm voice was the same as before.

Yeo Gwang’s sword did not reach Gu-yun’s chest. It stopped precisely an inch away.

And Yeon Ho-jeong was holding that sword with his bare hand.

Even though he was holding the sword of a supreme master with his bare hand, not a single drop of blood was drawn.

“Those who try to kill their fellow disciples without reason can never be forgiven.”

Crack!

Surprise filled everyone’s faces.

Especially on Yeo Gwang’s face, shock beyond surprise was vividly apparent.

The sword was bent.

Not broken, but bent by force. It was even a sword imbued with the power of a supreme master, wielded with the martial prowess of a Sect Leader.

Yeon Ho-jeong glared at Yeo Gwang.

Yeo Gwang flinched.

“I tried not to interfere since it’s Jongnam’s matter, but as the Martial Alliance’s leader, I can’t just let this go. You just tried to kill the person in charge of Jongnam’s forces.”

“…What?”

“Whether you’re crazy or not, you’ve crossed the line too far to consider your situation.”

Thud!

“Cough!”

Yeo Gwang staggered back.

The sword he was holding shattered from the hilt and fell to the ground. Yeo Gwang, who had imbued the sword with his power, also suffered considerable internal injuries.

Yeon Ho-jeong flicked his finger.

Thud!

Yeo Gwang collapsed.

He was still conscious, his eyes blinking. But his blood points and pressure points were sealed, making it impossible for him to move or speak.

Yeon Ho-jeong said to Gu-yun.

“The battle is imminent. I can’t take him to the Alliance, so please handle him here.”

Gu-yun said in a subdued tone.

“Thank you for showing mercy.”

“I don’t know if it’s something to be thanked for.”

Gu-yun looked at Hongjeok.

Hongjeok nodded heavily, then picked up Yeo Gwang and went inside.

Yeon Ho-jeong said.

“Decide for yourself whether to lock him up or let him fight. However, keep this one thing in mind. If you let him participate in the battle, if he undermines the morale of our forces with words or actions that are detrimental to the battle, he will be summarily executed under martial law.”

Gu-yun sighed.

“I understand.”

Paeyul said in a disgruntled tone.

“It would be better to lock him up. If you let him go, he’ll cause severe damage to the Jongnam swordsmen.”

Gu-yun didn’t answer.

Paeyul whispered to Yeon Ho-jeong.

“But why did you spare him? It would have been okay to just get rid of him now.”

Yeon Ho-jeong ignored Paeyul.

“Let’s talk about work now. Forget about the trivial incident.”

“Let’s do that.”

It was an incident where a sect elder tried to kill another elder. It was definitely not trivial.

But if they lost this war, Jongnam would disappear. Considering the overall problem of Jongnam, it was definitely a trivial matter.

“The forces from Mount Hua and the Beggars’ Sect are on their way. The Iron Palm Sect Elder said he would bring forces from other friendly sects as well, so we should have at least five hundred allies.”

“It’s something to be thankful for to the Primordial Celestial Lord.”

“Even the Primordial Celestial Lord of the world wouldn’t be able to tell us how to deploy external forces in the right places.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s expression became serious.

“What happened to the young disciples and the students who haven’t learned martial arts?”

“They’ve all been sent down the mountain. It’s a path that only the people of Jongnam know, so you can rest assured.”

“I’ve heard that Jongnam’s sword formation is as combat-ready as the ones from Mount Emei and the Shaolin Temple.”

“That’s true.”

“We don’t know how or when the enemies will attack, but it won’t be before midnight. If we’re lucky, they’ll attack after dawn as you said, but I think that’s highly unlikely.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes gleamed.

“Tell me all the places that are vulnerable to surprise attacks. We need to go around together and come up with at least a basic strategy.”

Time passed.

Soon, the time came when the red sunset covered the world. A thin crescent moon faintly appeared in the sky.

Even then, the presence of Myeong Geuk and the Blood Wolf Squad was not felt. Originally, they would have started moving by now and arrived before midnight to attack Jongnam.

Jongnam was vast and had many masters. But if you counted the masters with sufficient combat experience, it wouldn’t even be thirty percent.

It wasn’t just a problem for Jongnam. Most of the sects in the martial world would be like that, and it wasn’t a big problem.

The martial arts of the Nine Great Sects were strong even without practical experience. Furthermore, once they reached a certain level, the difference between them and those who had experienced combat decreased rapidly.

Even when seeing a blade flash before their eyes, their minds did not waver. This was because their martial arts were based on Taoism and Buddhism, which emphasized the harmony of mind and body.

However, even if they had mastered such martial arts, large-scale battles were another matter. The success or failure of this battle would depend on how the masters who had not experienced combat, but had sufficiently trained in martial arts, would perform.

Time passed again.

Eventually, a complete night arrived.

As the world darkened, the tension among the swordsmen began to rise sharply. This was because they didn’t know when or where the enemy would attack.

At that moment, a tense voice erupted from the mountain gate.

“Who is it!”

Hwang Seok-tae raised his spear and hand.

“I am Hwang Seok-tae. I am a subordinate of Yeon Ho-jeong, no, a member of Yeon Ho-jeong’s group. Please inform them inside.”

“Put down your spear and kneel!”

It was a very aggressive reaction.

But Hwang Seok-tae obediently did as they said.

That was because it was a state of war. It was surprising that they didn’t attack first, even though they were unfamiliar warriors.

After a while.

“Commander Hwang.”

Yeon Ho-jeong came out to the mountain gate himself.

Hwang Seok-tae said to the swordsman who had his sword pointed at his neck.

“Can you put your sword away now?”

The swordsman who had lowered his sword bowed his head briefly.

“Please forgive my rudeness.”

Hwang Seok-tae chuckled.

‘Not bad.’

It was a disciplined demeanor. The tension seemed a bit excessive, but at least he wouldn’t be killed by a blind sword.

Yeon Ho-jeong said to Hwang Seok-tae, who was picking up his Crimson Dragon Spear and getting up.

“What about Mount Hua?”

“They’ll be here soon. I left first.”

“Good. You’ve worked hard.”

“You can say that again. I’ve never knelt before anyone.”

Hwang Seok-tae brushed the dirt off his knees.

Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.

“You’ve seen a lot of things since you’ve been with me, haven’t you?”

“Buy me a drink later.”

“I will. If we survive this battle.”

“No white liquor.”

“That’s a bit of a shame. Let’s go for now. I need your insight.”

Around the middle of the Hae hour [9:30 PM – 11:30 PM].

“It’s Mount Hua!”

One of the swordsmen guarding the mountain gate shouted.

“The swordsmen of Mount Hua have come as reinforcements!”

“Waaaah!”

The loud voices echoed throughout Jongnam Mountain.

The arrival of Mount Hua ignited the hearts of the tense Jongnam swordsmen. It was as if a huge fire was rising throughout the mountain. The surge in morale was so great that it instantly turned into military spirit.

Gu-yun bowed his head to the Sword Saint of Mount Hua.

“Gu-yun of Jongnam greets the great elder of Mount Hua.”

The Sword Saint of Mount Hua waved his hand.

“That’s too much of a greeting. I’m just sorry that we couldn’t come sooner.”

“How can you say that? Just the fact that you came like this…”

Gu-yun, who was suddenly choked up, couldn’t continue his words.

Behind the Sword Saint of Mount Hua, there were three elders of Mount Hua with whom he had a connection, and nearly two hundred troops lined up.

Each of them had an imposing aura. They were all top masters of Mount Hua, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

Among them, there were those who wielded spears, and their aura was no less than that of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

Gu-yun and the elders were moved. Even if Mount Hua was invaded, it was doubtful whether Jongnam would have dispatched that many troops.

It was then.

“Elder!”

Gu-yun’s eyes widened.

“No, you guys?!”

Hyeok-eun and the Jongnam swordsmen ran to Gu-yun and knelt down.

“It’s a relief! We weren’t too late!”

“Where were you guys and why are you here now?!”

He was so out of it that he hadn’t been able to investigate where the swordsmen who had been with Yeo Gwang had gone.

It was when Hyeok-eun was about to open his mouth.

“At first, we thought Mount Hua was the enemy’s target.”

The Sword Saint of Mount Hua said with a smile.

“The juniors who found out about it immediately rushed to Mount Hua. They said they would help us.”

“… !”

“Unfortunately, the target changed to Jongnam, but how could we not help after seeing them? You have really good disciples.”

Gu-yun gripped Hyeok-eun’s shoulder tightly.

“You did well. And thank you. You showed the spirit of Jongnam!”

Hyeok-eun bowed his head.

“I will gladly accept the punishment for acting without permission after this battle is over.”

“What crime do you have? From today on, if there are neighbors in trouble again, you must step forward even if someone tries to stop you. That is what I, that is what you were taught.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Good job. You came back well.”

The arrival of the reinforcements and the affiliated swordsmen was truly welcome.

But at the same time, the war clouds grew even thicker. The arrival of reinforcements meant that the enemy’s invasion time could be brought forward as well.

Increasing tension.

And the moment it passed midnight.

“…They’ve come.”

Yeon Ho-jeong stood up, holding the Heavenly Communication Talisman.

Far away, the Sword Saint of Mount Hua also stood up, his eyes gleaming.

“It seems the enemy is coming.”

Gu-yun shouted.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Hundreds of swords were drawn, creating a brilliant sword light.