Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 793

“How intriguing.”

Baek Seo, with his hands behind his back, gazed at the distant hills, his face as expressionless as ever.

“Is it just me, or does the wind feel sharper?”

Hwang Seok-tae, standing beside him, responded to Baek Seo’s words.

“It’s winter, after all. Even if it’s not as harsh as the northern regions, Honam [a region in southwestern Korea] is still cold.”

“…….”

“Of course, it does seem unusually cold compared to the average year.”

Baek Seo looked at Hwang Seok-tae.

Hwang Seok-tae’s face held a relaxed demeanor that had not been seen before. Even the Red Dragon Spear in his hand seemed to have sheathed its characteristic sharpness.

“You’ve really changed a lot.”

“Is that so?”

“You don’t seem like the leader of the Dragon Fang Iron Cavalry, the strongest martial force in the Black Path. It’s as if you’ve retired from the martial world and become an instructor at a local martial arts school.”

Hwang Seok-tae burst into laughter.

“An instructor at a rural martial arts school… that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“You’ve really changed. You used to be someone who couldn’t take a joke.”

“Was that a joke? I didn’t realize.”

“…….”

“Baek Seo, you’ve changed a lot too. You weren’t someone who would joke with anyone.”

“I suppose so.”

Baek Seo turned his gaze back to the hills.

“A subordinate’s demeanor should change according to their lord’s state of mind.”

“Is that so?”

“Over the past few years, the Vice Lord has become much gentler. I don’t know if it’s right for a subordinate to evaluate their lord, but…”

“Anyone can evaluate their own lord.”

“As the Vice Lord has become more relaxed, my own always-tense atmosphere seems to have softened as well.”

“Isn’t that just because you’re getting older?”

“Well, maybe that’s part of it.”

Hwang Seok-tae felt a bit awkward. He had thrown out a joke, but Baek Seo had taken it seriously. Perhaps people shouldn’t do things they’re not used to.

“The Vice Lord still has a long way to go. To support him firmly until then, I need to make some changes myself. In that regard, I think the current changes are not bad.”

“Those who cannot change are bound to be left behind.”

“I suppose so.”

As if wanting to change the mood, Hwang Seok-tae stretched and spoke.

“By the way, what have the Twelve Zodiacs [elite warriors within the Black Path] been up to lately? I haven’t seen the other combat units much either, and the elders of the faction only show their faces occasionally. I have no idea what they’re doing.”

“Why? Are you interested in them?”

“I’ve always been interested. I just didn’t need to know.”

Baek Seo nodded.

“They are diligently carrying out their duties in their respective areas. Just like you guys train across this vast plain when you don’t have missions.”

“If they’re all doing well, then that’s good.”

“Your interest stems from concern, doesn’t it?”

Hwang Seok-tae spoke with an indifferent face, uttering chilling words.

“We’re an organization with the goal of defeating the Three Sects [major martial arts factions] and unifying the world. How can we afford to waste a single day?”

“……!”

Baek Seo’s eyes sharpened.

“Don’t go around saying things like that.”

“I’m not so loose-lipped that I’d go around saying such things.”

“I know, but I’m telling you to be careful.”

“Understood.”

Baek Seo, having calmed his sharp gaze, spoke in his usual calm tone.

“The sky doesn’t look good. It’s going to snow soon.”

“It does seem so.”

“The Iron Cavalry will likely receive a mission soon. Make sure the unit is well-managed…”

Just then.

Thud!

A heavy sound echoed, and thick smoke rose from the hill in the distance.

Baek Seo and Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes immediately changed.

* * *

“A life-or-death duel…”

Yang Cheon’s face was full of composure. At least, that’s how it appeared on the surface.

However, he was inwardly tense.

Yeon Ho-jeong had mentioned a ‘life-or-death duel.’ If it actually happened, he wouldn’t lose, but the problem was that this guy had suddenly brought up such a dangerous topic.

“For martial artists walking on thin ice, every day is like a life-or-death duel.”

“That’s true.”

“I don’t know what the details are, but if it’s a statement that could paralyze my reason, you should be careful.”

“How about marrying a princess of a nation?”

“…What?”

“I’m saying, what if the Vice Lord were to marry a princess?”

“…?!”

Yang Cheon’s eyes widened.

Yeon Ho-jeong continued calmly.

“To be precise, how about becoming the Emperor’s son-in-law?”

What on earth was he talking about?

The surprise on Yang Cheon’s face gradually hardened.

“The Emperor’s son-in-law?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you asking how I feel about marrying the Emperor’s daughter?”

“Yes. Well, it’s a bit different.”

“…?”

“You must do it. There are no other options.”

In an instant, Yang Cheon’s hand grabbed the bottom of a flat rock.

Whoosh! Thud!

A rather large rock rolled to the side, kicking up a cloud of dust. The liquor bottles and food placed on top of it went flying in all directions. The power with which Yang Cheon had sent the rock flying with one hand, as if overturning a table, was truly immense.

Flash!

Yang Cheon’s eyes blazed.

Crack!

Muk Bi, who had already retreated three steps, nocked an arrow on his bow. With lightning-fast movements, the arrowhead was aimed at Yang Cheon’s heart.

Whoosh!

Muk Bi’s hand, holding the Crimson Lotus Bow, trembled slightly.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his legs were so weak that it was difficult to stand properly.

“…You say I must?”

Unlike Muk Bi, Yeon Ho-jeong remained calm.

“That’s right.”

“There are no other options?”

“Of course, you can refuse. But if you refuse this marriage, I cannot be held responsible for what happens next.”

Thump! Thump!

The ground around the two of them began to crack and shatter.

Yang Cheon, truly enraged, was emitting a ki [internal energy] that was so terrifying that it instantly shook the entire hill.

Even Muk Bi, a master of the highest order, was having his physical freedom restricted by that ki. His inner energy was boiling madly, and his mind was so confused that it was difficult to even draw the bowstring.

Whoosh!

The aura of the Four Symbols [mythical guardian beasts] rose from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body.

The ki emitted by the truly enraged Yang Cheon was also giving Yeon Ho-jeong a tremendous shock. Even with all four divine beasts at their peak and the Bright Light Elixir [a powerful energy source] spinning at maximum speed, he felt a bone-chilling sensation.

‘Indeed.’

Yeon Ho-jeong thought.

‘He’s completely different from back then.’

His martial arts were on a different level from when he had lured and killed Yang Cheon, before he became the Black Emperor Lord, using the Blood Dragon Vein [a source of immense power].

The dead had returned, and the world had begun to change. As a result, Yang Cheon had also gained immense power that he had not shown before.

‘Fifty moves… no, in this environment, I might be able to manage seventy moves somehow.’

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.

‘He’s not someone who can be swayed by variables. There’s absolutely no chance of winning in a head-on fight.’

A fight is something where you can’t be sure of the outcome until you’ve tried it, but if the possibility is close to zero, then you can say there’s no chance of winning.

‘He’s terrifying.’

Yang Cheon was truly enraged, and the murderous intent that rose from that rage was so great that it seemed as if the heavens and earth were about to be overturned.

‘I can’t handle this.’

He had sensed defeat even when fighting the Demonic Army. But that was a judgment made after fighting for a long time.

Yang Cheon was different.

People often talk about a difference of one move, but this was like the difference between heaven and earth. It could be said that it wasn’t just a difference of one move, but several.

An opponent against whom you could sense defeat without even fighting.

Having to prepare for battle against an opponent where even the environment was unfavorable and variables seemed unlikely to work was not a pleasant experience for Yeon Ho-jeong, who had spent his entire life in a battlefield.

‘And he’s unwavering.’

Yeon Ho-jeong could see Yang Cheon’s eyes, which were calmly composed even while emitting that explosive ki.

He was extremely angry, but his reason was not consumed by that anger. He had completely separated his emotional self from his rational self.

There wouldn’t be many people in the entire world who could be so angry and yet maintain such coldness in their eyes. Especially not an absolute powerhouse who had gained such immense martial arts that no one would dare to touch him even if he lived as he pleased.

That’s why Yang Cheon was so remarkable.

If Yang Cheon was amazed by Yeon Ho-jeong’s composure, Yeon Ho-jeong was equally tense at the reason that Yang Cheon, as a ruler, was displaying.

“You, what did you plot in the Imperial Palace?”

His tone had changed.

His reason was clear, but his anger was also clear. It was natural for his tone and voice to become rough.

Yeon Ho-jeong spoke honestly.

“I had a conversation with His Majesty the Emperor.”

His tone had also changed.

“After many conversations, I realized that this world must be united.”

“…?!”

“Unification.”

Yeon Ho-jeong did not miss the slight tremor in Yang Cheon’s aura.

“I have decided that the ‘Non-Aggression Pact,’ which most people don’t find strange but is actually incredibly precarious, must be crushed.”

“What?!”

“To make the world one. Unification of the world. I believe that must be achieved.”

“Are you saying you’ve sided with the Emperor?”

Sided with the Emperor.

It was a rather childish and provocative phrase. The relationship between Yeon Ho-jeong and the Emperor was not so simple that it could be expressed in such words.

However, Yeon Ho-jeong did not feel the need to explain his relationship with the Emperor, or all the conversations he had with the Son of Heaven.

“That’s right.”

“You bastard!!”

Thud!

With a tremendous explosion, Yeon Ho-jeong’s body was thrown back five yards.

‘Damn it.’

Trickle.

Blood flowed from Yeon Ho-jeong’s nose and mouth.

He had blocked the blow with both hands, but he had still suffered internal injuries.

And that was from just one blow!

‘Damn it, I knew it would be like this, but he’s a real monster.’

Yeon Ho-jeong glanced at Muk Bi.

Muk Bi was trembling, kneeling on one knee. Even so, he was still drawing the bowstring, but the tip of the arrow aimed at Yang Cheon kept wavering. He was maintaining his posture with superhuman willpower.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s foot struck the ground.

Thud!

The aura of the Four Symbols, which blocked Yang Cheon’s incoming force and solidified his own domain, enveloped Yeon Ho-jeong and Muk Bi.

Muk Bi’s trembling lessened. Yeon Ho-jeong’s aura, which had become slightly unstable, also began to blaze again.

“This isn’t a good place to go into detail about all the conversations I had with the Emperor. Of course, there’s no need to do so separately either.”

“Place? No matter the place, if what you say is true, there’s no need for any conversation.”

Crack! Crack!

The ground cracked and shattered with a series of thuds.

The ki he was emitting was applying tremendous pressure. The hill, which had stood on this land for a long time, was crying out under the merciless violence of a martial god.

Yang Cheon’s blue eyes were filled with madness, beyond anger and murderous intent.

“You, a martial artist, betraying the martial world and becoming the Emperor’s lackey to discuss unification?”

“Betrayal…”

“If that’s not betrayal, then what is it!!”

Yeon Ho-jeong, wiping the blood from his nose and mouth with the back of his hand, spoke calmly.

“Even a great master who has united the Black Path with his excellent skills and political power has his flaws.”

“What!”

“If you look at the world through the eyes of a fool who is trapped by such an empty, illusory code, then no matter how strong you are, or how much support you have, the unification of the world is impossible.”

In that moment, Yang Cheon’s eyes wavered.

“And I didn’t come to you with a proposal that would only be detrimental to you.”

“What nonsense are you spouting now!”

“I also brought a weapon called a pledge that would be beneficial to both you and me.”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked up at the sky for a moment.

In that instant, the faces of his father and younger brother, and the faces of the numerous White Path martial artists he had formed relationships with, flashed before his eyes.

‘I’m sorry. But I cannot help but move forward.’

Yang Cheon shouted.

“Stop talking nonsense and speak clearly…!!”

“I will become your disciple.”

“…What?”

“I will become your successor.”

Yeon Ho-jeong extended his hand.

“Give me the Black Path.”