Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 763

“……?”

Yeon-wi, who had been meditating in a cross-legged position for some time, suddenly opened his eyes.

Jeagal Ayeon, who was writing something on a document beside him, turned to look at Yeon-wi.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“…….”

“Master?”

Yeon-wi silently stared out the window.

Jeagal Ayeon sensed something unusual.

“Is there a problem?”

“……Not now, but…”

“Yes?”

Yeon-wi’s eyes deepened.

‘What was that?’

Yeon-wi no longer practiced internal energy or trained his body. Of course, such training was not unimportant, but what he needed right now was to straighten his mind and properly control his upper dantian [an energy center in traditional Chinese medicine].

Deep meditation, looking back at his own soul, and finding the true meaning within his martial arts.

Fortunately, he had controlled himself immediately after his first Mind Sword manifestation, so it was not difficult to establish his mind. Whether to cross the line or not was a principle that also applied to the Mind Sword.

Controlling the upper dantian through meditation and building a great barrier to prevent its power from overflowing.

As a result, Yeon-wi developed a strange ability he had never had before.

‘It was definitely demonic energy.’

The exact direction was not clear.

However, Yeon-wi was certain. Someone within the imperial palace’s territory had mastered demonic arts.

‘If it were closer to the imperial court, I could have pinpointed the direction. Then is it the outer walls?’

Yeon-wi’s fist slowly tightened.

‘Not just a demon. It’s incredibly still, but… the fragment of that power is definitely…’

Twitch!

Yeon-wi turned his head.

‘……?’

Again, he could not pinpoint the exact direction. It seemed to be somewhere far to the west, but it was too vast to pinpoint.

‘A strange power. Much more secretive than the owner of the demonic energy.’

Woo-oong.

Yeon-wi’s pupils turned blue.

It was not because of the Sword Demon Energy. It was the divine energy that naturally arose as his upper dantian activated, gathering in his eyes.

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and like a passage to the upper dantian.

‘A power more high-dimensional than internal energy… but that too is a harmony of energy…’

In an instant, the blue light in his eyes flashed like lightning.

“Sorcery?”

“Yes?”

Swoosh.

Yeon-wi, having released his posture, got off the bed and said,

“There are powerful masters in the imperial palace that are hard to handle.”

“……!”

Jeagal Ayeon’s face hardened.

She, as well as Peng Mu-gang, had complete faith in Yeon-wi’s abilities. Especially after he manifested the Mind Sword, the two secretly believed that Yeon-wi was the strongest in their forces.

It was a correct belief. Yeon-wi was not just a martial artist who was good at wielding weapons, but his enlightenment was so deep that he was close to an enlightened one who had achieved a Dao [a concept in Taoism referring to the natural order of the universe].

“I don’t know their identities. I can’t pinpoint their direction either. But… both are monsters who have reached the realm of Limitless.”

“……!!”

“Probably.”

Probably?

Yeon-wi frowned.

“One is certain. A demon who has mastered demonic arts. But the other is uncertain. A sorcery-like energy is concealing its presence, and I don’t know how strong it is. It could be Saintly Heaven level, or just someone who has reached Limitless. It’s not clear.”

He could see it because he was extremely focused on himself without any distractions.

If the Taoist who had used talisman magic for the ‘beast’ had known about Yeon-wi’s ability, he would have been horrified. He had spent three years preparing high-dimensional sorcery and various talisman magic to create a mysterious room, but Yeon-wi was displaying similar abilities just by concentrating.

“……I see.”

“There is no particular movement yet. But if the enemy starts attacking, they will move as well. With that level of power, as soon as the attack begins…”

Suddenly, Yeon-wi twitched.

“Master?”

“…….”

“Master, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Yeon-wi slightly turned his head.

Swoosh.

A stream of blood flowed from his nose.

Yeon-wi wiped the blood from his nose and sat on the bed as if nothing had happened.

Yeon-wi calmly said,

“The enemy’s forces are probably several times larger than ours. In terms of numbers alone, we have more, including the Imperial Guards, but in terms of the number of masters, there is no comparison.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“Yet, they haven’t attacked us so far. Even if we consider Peng’s negotiation skills, something is strange.”

There were two monsters presumed to be Limitless masters.

With that level of power, there was no need for negotiation. If they were determined to fight, they would have the power to annihilate this side in an instant.

Limitless masters were terrifying for that reason. They were like moving disasters.

“What do you think?”

Jeagal Ayeon, who had been lost in thought for a moment, nodded.

“I can think of two reasons.”

“Two?”

“One is your Mind Sword, Master.”

“…….”

“The Mind Sword that spread from the imperial court at that time must have given the enemies a strong shock. If you had indiscriminately unleashed the Mind Sword without distinguishing friend from foe, neither Peng nor I would be in our right minds now.”

Yeon-wi’s eyes deepened.

Jeagal Ayeon continued.

“We saw it and knew, but the enemy might have perceived that there was an unusual master on this side. I probably would have thought so too.”

“Right.”

“An unknown entity always causes fear. Moreover, we announced that we had captured Eunuch Woo-heon. It would be difficult for them to move rashly.”

“But…”

“Yes. Until now, I only thought that way. But as you said, Master, if the enemy has two Limitless monsters, it would be normal for them to ignore our forces and try to wipe us out.”

Jeagal Ayeon held up her index and middle fingers.

“The second reason is that they cannot control them.”

“Control?”

“Yes. That’s the only way to think about it. They are not in a situation where they can afford to waste time. Of course, they might be preparing some cunning scheme that we don’t know about, but even considering that, they are hesitating too much.”

“Hmm.”

“It must be because they cannot properly control the two monsters you saw, Master. That’s what I think.”

It was just a guess that could not be confirmed without seeing or hearing it directly. If they had even a little information, it would be different, but they were just as ignorant of the enemy.

“Whatever it is, just having a master that is difficult to handle will be a shackle for us.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Yeon-wi shook his head.

“The siege will be longer than I thought…”

That was when it happened.

Screech!

Both Yeon-wi and Jeagal Ayeon’s eyes widened.

“A signal arrow?!”

Jeagal Ayeon was flustered.

“Why all of a sudden?”

Woo-oong.

Yeon-wi’s pupils turned blue again.

Trickle.

Blood flowed from his nose again. It was a hemorrhage that he himself was not aware of.

However, Yeon-wi soon smiled faintly.

“This might turn out well.”

* * *

Thump. Thump.

Yeon Ho-jeong stared beyond the city gate with his blue eyes.

There were many people emitting an unusual aura. Just the ones who had appeared through the open gate were close to a hundred.

‘Impressive.’

Yeon Ho-jeong whistled softly.

There were many strong people in the world. Compared to the number of martial artists spread across the continent, they were a minority, but considering the absolute numbers, there were many masters in the martial world.

But he thought that those guys were just as impressive as his side. Where did they produce so many masters? Just the super-elite masters he could see were four.

The masters lined up behind them were no less than the elites of the Nine Sects [referring to prominent martial arts schools].

‘Well, I guess it’s natural.’

It was the imperial palace, after all. It would be strange if the imperial palace did not have that many troops deployed.

Thump!

‘Hmm?’

It was an unusual sound.

He thought it was the sound of the city gate going up, but it wasn’t.

Behind the Shin-hwa Cultists, something huge was moving. Not just one, but five black iron lumps with wheels.

‘Cannons?!’

Yeon Ho-jeong’s face became grim.

Gi Woo-hee whispered softly.

“They’re coming out in style, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.”

“What should we do?”

“They can’t shoot openly. Don’t worry.”

He was reminded that Gi Woo-hee had a deep connection with cannons.

The first time he went to save Gi Woo-hee, the enemies had also used cannons. They even moved the surrounding government offices to pinpoint their route, aiming over ten cannons at them, which had sent chills down his spine.

At the time, he had rushed in alone with superhuman willpower and destroyed them all, but…

‘The imperial palace-made cannons are definitely different.’

They seemed to be made of much stronger steel than the cannons mobilized by the government offices. They were also well-maintained and had a good shine.

Moreover, those who mobilized them were the Shin-hwa Cultists, masters of the Scorching Yang Art [a martial arts technique].

‘This could be a bit dangerous.’

If he were to charge in recklessly alone, it wouldn’t be that difficult, but the problem was that there were many people on this side as well.

If they went crazy and shot cannons around, people who had nothing to do with this could die in droves.

Yeon Ho-jeong clicked his tongue.

“Who are you?!”

In the center of the open gate.

Gi Cheon-hyung shouted.

“With such a strange content…!”

“Shut up.”

Woo-oong.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s voice was calm yet sharp. He cut off Gi Cheon-hyung’s words in an instant, as if his voice was being sucked into the gate.

Yeon Ho-jeong tapped Gi Woo-hee’s chin with the side of his crescent blade.

“Is this the girl? The Saintess you guys are so desperate for.”

Although the distance was quite far, there was no way that Gi Cheon-hyung, a master, would not recognize Gi Woo-hee’s face.

Gi Cheon-hyung’s eyes trembled slightly.

‘The Saintess?!’

It was the real Saintess.

The fair skin and blue eyes unique to Westerners, and her beautiful face, could not be faked.

However, Gi Cheon-hyung pretended not to know.

“Who is that girl?”

Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.

“Coming on strong, huh?”

“And you are again…”

“It hasn’t been long since you shot the arrow, and you’re rushing out like a bunch of fire-tailed colts, pretending not to know? Does that make sense?”

“……!”

“Put on a better act, you bastard. Is there no one with a good head on their shoulders over there? You’re so damn ignorant.”

Gi Cheon-hyung’s face turned red in an instant.

He was hot-tempered and hated thinking, but at the same time, he hated being called ignorant the most.

“You bastard!”

“So what are you going to do?”

Yeon Ho-jeong lowered his crescent blade and openly put his arm around Gi Woo-hee’s shoulder.

It was a gesture that might seem friendly, but not now. Yeon Ho-jeong’s strong arm looked like it could snap Gi Woo-hee’s neck at any moment.

Gi Cheon-hyung’s eyes wavered.

“If she’s not the Saintess, is it okay to snap her neck right now?”

“Eek!”

“She is the Saintess.”

A strange light flashed in Yeon Ho-jeong’s blue eyes.

He, who had perfectly concealed his energy and presence, calmly released his deathly aura.

“Bring all your troops inside the imperial palace. If you don’t want to see the Saintess’s head fly.”