Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 808

The faces of the people gathered in the restaurant were filled with astonishment.

Even if a son is worthless, for a father to say he would kill his own son himself.

Such a case was truly rare even in the Black Path. Since the Black Path didn’t strictly adhere to laws in the first place, such a case was even harder to find.

He would kill him because he couldn’t receive forgiveness from the Vice Chief of the Mukryong Unit [a powerful military faction].

That’s how it seemed on the surface. But the reality was completely different.

The Vice Chief, the Overlord Yeon Ho-jeong, was a master of the highest order whose martial prowess had reached the heavens. If he were to use his full power, even the Green Forest Chief wouldn’t last three moves.

Moreover, he was a person favored by the Mukryong Unit Chief, so any tricks here would be meaningless.

If he couldn’t save his son, it was better to kill him with his own hands and gain sympathy.

Furthermore, the public opinion of Yeon Ho-jeong wouldn’t be very good. In the first place, Yeon Ho-jeong wasn’t from the Black Path, and it hadn’t been long since he became the Vice Chief.

If he were to insult the mountain bandit king of the Green Forest just because he had obtained a meager position, it wouldn’t be good for the Vice Chief himself.

If the Vice Chief knew that, he could save his son’s life, and if he didn’t, he could kill his son himself to secure his position.

No matter what choice he made, he had nothing to lose. He might lose a son, but if that son was always causing trouble, it might be better if he was gone. That was Jo Dong-guk’s judgment.

And there was no way that Yeon Ho-jeong, the world’s greatest, wouldn’t have read Jo Dong-guk’s intentions.

“That’s a great decision. I didn’t know you would make such a decision, to kill your own son yourself.”

“If the Vice Chief doesn’t forgive him, he will eventually die. In that case, it’s better to send him off with his father’s hand.”

Still, he was human, so it was inevitable that his voice trembled a little.

Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.

“You are truly a remarkable person.”

“…….”

“If someone as skilled and adept at handling situations as the Chief is with us in the future of the Black Path, it would be truly reassuring.”

Jo Dong-guk’s eyes twitched.

“……Thank you for the compliment.”

“But,” Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.

“Even if the laws of the world are strict, how can they tell a father to kill his own son?”

Swoosh!

A streak of cold light flashed.

And then.

Thud! Splatter!

Jo Pil-do’s head fell, and a large amount of blood gushed out.

“Gasp!”

The faces of the watching warriors turned pale. Jo Dong-guk was the same.

Yeon Ho-jeong dusted off his hand. He had severed Jo Pil-do’s neck with a single hand strike, but his expression didn’t change at all.

“I wanted to tear him limb from limb, but I let him go cleanly for the sake of the Chief’s face.”

“……!!”

Jo Dong-guk’s face turned red and then blue.

Even if he was out of favor, a son was still a son. He had said he would kill him himself, but still, his own flesh and blood’s head had been severed before his eyes.

Moreover, it wasn’t by his own hand, but by the hand of some Mukryong Unit successor who had appeared out of nowhere. The difference was much greater than he had thought.

Shudder.

Jo Dong-guk’s hand holding the broadsword trembled slightly.

The unstable energy that had been writhing became incredibly rough. Yet, seeing that he didn’t reveal his killing intent to the end, his patience was beyond imagination.

Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Jo Dong-guk with a cold gaze.

“…….”

A suffocating silence filled the restaurant.

After a while.

“Truly…….”

His voice was slightly choked, but Jo Dong-guk calmed himself down by even taking a deep breath.

“I am truly sorry. I will never forget today’s events for the future of the Black Path.”

It was a strange statement.

It could be interpreted as meaning that he would never oppose him again, or it could be interpreted as meaning that he would never forget today’s humiliation.

Only Jo Dong-guk would know which intention he held.

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.

Even though he had killed his son in front of his father, his smile was bright.

“Let’s work hard for the Black Path in the future.”

Yeon Ho-jeong clasped his hands. He didn’t bow his head.

Jo Dong-guk bowed his head and clasped his hands.

“It’s an honor.”

With that greeting, Jo Dong-guk turned his body.

“Let’s go!”

His voice, ordering Jo Pil-do’s guards, was quite rough.

The large men followed Jo Dong-guk, watching Yeon Ho-jeong’s every move.

It was then.

“Ah, but there’s something I wanted to say.”

Jo Dong-guk’s steps stopped.

Yeon Ho-jeong scratched his head.

“I heard a strange rumor, and I was wondering if the Chief could confirm it for me?”

“……What kind of rumor are you talking about?”

It was at that moment that a crimson flame began to surge in Yeon Ho-jeong’s pupils.

Swoosh!

In an instant, a swirling Vermilion Bird fire [a mythical fire associated with phoenixes] engulfed the entire restaurant.

“Gasp!”

Everyone’s faces turned pale.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s killing intent wasn’t just for killing. That killing intent was filled with a powerful majesty that could only be emitted by someone who had ruled over ten thousand people.

Startled, Jo Dong-guk reflexively turned his body and raised his sword.

‘……!!’

Jo Dong-guk’s face turned white. Yeon Ho-jeong had already reached right in front of him.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s left hand grabbed Jo Dong-guk’s sword.

Sizzle!

Jo Dong-guk’s blade turned red in an instant.

“Ugh!”

Unable to withstand the immense heat, Jo Dong-guk involuntarily dropped his sword and staggered. His palm was already covered in unsightly burns.

Jo Dong-guk shouted frantically.

“Vice Chief! What are you doing!”

Sizzle!

The Vermilion Bird fire reached its maximum temperature in an instant.

The broadsword, which had been emitting a reddish light, slowly began to change its shape. The blade began to melt due to the immense heat.

Yeon Ho-jeong clenched his fist.

Thud! Clang! Sizzle!

The broadsword, which had become soft like mud, fell to the floor, emitting thick smoke.

Yeon Ho-jeong opened his hand again. Then, a part of the blade that had been in his hand dripped down like a viscous mud.

Shock spread across Jo Dong-guk’s face.

How could he have mastered such a monstrous heat energy technique that he could melt a solidly forged blade like mud?

It was truly a terrifying power. To confront someone with such power was simply madness.

“I heard that some of the Green Forest leaders go to villages that pay taxes and repeatedly hunt people for fun and rape women.”

“……!!”

“Even if you are from bandits, don’t you think you’ve gone too far?”

“V, Vice Chief!”

Thwack!

Jo Dong-guk’s face turned red.

“Cough!”

Jo Dong-guk, who had been hit in the solar plexus by a cannon-like kick, collapsed on the spot and vomited blood.

What was shocking was that he hadn’t reacted at all. Someone of Jo Dong-guk’s level should have had the ability to reflexively react immediately after being hit, but he had collapsed in the same position he was hit.

This was because the powerful internal force contained in Yeon Ho-jeong’s kick had given a strong shock to his dantian [energy center] and nerves.

“What is dignity?”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s gaze, looking down at Jo Dong-guk, had changed.

And so had his tone.

“Dignity for a person is revealed only when there is a minimum standard of behavior and rules that must be followed as a human being.”

“Cough!”

“Not with some meager power and position!”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s rebuke made the entire restaurant tremble.

“Dignity opens the solid door for those who live without looking down on the minimum that must be protected.”

“……!”

“But what about you?”

Sizzle!

A blackish-gray, murderous haze rose from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body.

“As a minimum sign of sincerity to protect the village, you have been receiving taxes from them. It’s easy to predict that it’s a violent and one-sided relationship, but if that was the contract, you should have been satisfied with that.”

“Cough! Hack!”

“If a dog that protects a flock of sheep suddenly starts eating the sheep like a wolf, how can it be called a guard dog?”

Jo Dong-guk gritted his teeth.

The killing intent pouring down from Yeon Ho-jeong was real. He was truly going to kill him.

“Ugh!”

Jo Dong-guk launched a surprise attack with his fist, along with a blood-mixed shout.

Thwack!

His surprise attack failed so pathetically. His fist had been caught by Yeon Ho-jeong’s hand.

The veins on the back of Yeon Ho-jeong’s hand bulged.

Crack!

“Aaaagh!”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s foot moved.

Thwack!

Jo Dong-guk, who had been hit in the dantian, couldn’t even scream.

Fwoosh!

Jo Dong-guk’s skin instantly lost its elasticity.

His dantian was broken, and the internal energy he had accumulated was rapidly draining away. A powerful penetrating force had shattered his body in one blow.

Those who witnessed the scene were in a state of shock.

In the Black Path, the status of the Green Forest Chief, Homa Jo Dong-guk, was truly enormous. Except for a few people like the Mukryong Unit Chief, he could be said to have the highest rank.

Yet, a person with such a high rank had lost his power so pathetically. It was a shocking sight.

“A group is just a group. There is no distinction between the Black Path and the White Path. It’s just that the goals they pursue are different, and their ways of life are different. Does it make sense for the Black Path to live like beasts and the White Path to live like hypocrites?”

“…….”

“The reason you are being destroyed in my hands right now is not because you did something wrong to me. You have destroyed the dignity of the Black Path. Not only did you take time out of your busy schedule, which was so busy that you couldn’t even take care of your own son, to violate beautiful young women kidnapped from all over the country, but you also killed and buried them when you got tired of them?”

Terror appeared on Jo Dong-guk’s face, who had lost his energy.

That was something that only a very few people within the Green Forest knew about. And Yeon Ho-jeong knew about it.

“Cough! D, don’t slander me!”

Although he had lost his energy, his voice was filled with urgency.

“What evidence do you have……!”

“There’s plenty of evidence. I have it, and it was also given to the Chief before it was given to me.”

“……!!”

That’s right.

If there was one thing that the Black Path was ahead of the White Path, it was their intelligence network.

Of course, if it was the entire Central Plains, it would be a close match. However, within their own territory, the Black Path’s intelligence network overwhelmed the White Path.

“Did you think you could keep deceiving us forever?”

“E, even if that’s the case, the Vice Chief has no authority to interfere in what happens in my territory!”

Crack!

“Aaaagh!”

Jo Dong-guk, whose two legs were broken, rolled on the floor.

Yeon Ho-jeong’s face contorted.

“Dog barking is coming out of your gaping mouth.”

“Ugh!”

“What authority are you talking about when you do such filthy things? As long as you have lived like that, you shouldn’t be upset even if you are cursed by the lowest person in the world.”

“I, if you kill me, the entire Green Forest will turn against you!”

Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.

“Don’t worry. If I look for someone who is eyeing your position, is greedy, but has a sane mind, I’m sure I’ll find one.”

Despair appeared on Jo Dong-guk’s face.

“The father and the son are both the same trash.”

“S, save me……!”

Crack!

Yeon Ho-jeong’s foot crushed Jo Dong-guk’s head.

“……!”

A terrible silence enveloped the restaurant.

Yeon Ho-jeong looked around and said.

“I don’t want you to live righteous lives. I’m busy enough just trying to live my own life, so why would I need to help others? We are neither saints nor pedants.”

“…….”

“There’s no need to live like the righteous heroes of the White Path. But at least live like humans. The Black Path that I pursue starts from there.”