Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 973

Thud.

Yahareuk collapsed forward.

Swish.

Yeon-wi, having sheathed his imperial sword, took a step back.

“……”

Gi Cheon-ung stared at Yahareuk with trembling eyes.

Surprisingly, despite the sound of flesh being cut by a blade, there was no visible wound on Yahareuk’s neck.

Gi Cheon-ung couldn’t see how Yeon-wi had brought Yahareuk down. However, he could sense the vague outline of Yeon-wi’s unknown power, allowing him to roughly grasp the situation.

“Is that… a mind sword?”

“It is.”

Gi Cheon-ung looked at Yeon-wi with sorrowful eyes.

“Why didn’t you cut his neck?”

“Do you wish for this man to die?”

“……”

“It seems this fellow wished for death himself.”

“……”

Seeing Gi Cheon-ung unable to speak, Yeon-wi sighed.

“I myself do not know the full extent of my mind sword’s capabilities. Therefore, I only use it within the range I can control. It’s not an ability I can just use anytime like swinging a real sword.”

“……”

“I merely severed the connection between his upper and middle dantian [energy centers in the body] for a moment.”

“Is such a thing possible?”

“It wasn’t actually severed. I only made him believe it was. If his mind returns and he properly recognizes his condition, it shouldn’t be impossible for him to recover.”

Gi Cheon-ung lamented.

“I wouldn’t have said anything even if you had cut this man’s neck.”

“It’s not because I was afraid of you that I spared him.”

Yeon-wi looked around.

“This is the imperial court. It’s not a civil war, so we cannot shed blood so readily.”

“……”

“Furthermore, though he was your man, the master of this place is His Majesty alone. I cannot cut his neck without his permission.”

“I didn’t think the situation was so relaxed that you could consider such things.”

“I merely guessed His Majesty’s intentions. If I was wrong, I could just cut him down then.”

Gi Cheon-ung, who had been quietly observing Yeon-wi, nodded heavily.

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me.”

“If you hadn’t stepped forward, neither I nor the Guardian Deity would have ended up well.”

“I don’t think this is a moment that requires such a hypothetical.”

It was then.

Clunk.

The doors of the imperial court opened, and the Emperor appeared.

The Emperor’s gaze, as he looked down at the fallen Yahareuk with his hands behind his back, was as calm as ever.

“Is that the one?”

Yeon-wi prostrated himself.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Rise. Are you going to lower yourself like that every time we meet?”

“I apologize.”

Yeon-wi rose from his spot and bowed respectfully.

The Emperor came down to the middle of the stairs and sat down with a thud.

As always, he did not display the appearance of an authoritative ruler.

The Emperor reached out to Gi Cheon-ung, who was right next to him.

“Give me a drink too.”

“Is it alright to drink from something someone else has touched?”

“As if that’s a big deal.”

Gi Cheon-ung handed over the bottle, and the Emperor took a refreshing gulp.

“Good.”

The Emperor’s eyes turned to Gi Cheon-ung.

Gi Cheon-ung’s face, as he looked at Yahareuk, looked truly complex.

The Emperor spoke.

“That man’s desire was to kill me.”

“……I know.”

“You trusted people too much, didn’t you?”

“If people can’t trust each other, they can only live alone.”

At the unexpected words, the Emperor gave a wry smile.

“You’re right.”

The Emperor did not speak down to Gi Cheon-ung as he had yesterday. It was clear from his tone that the relationship between the two had softened considerably in that short time.

Gi Cheon-ung said with a sigh.

“I misjudged people. I’m sorry. Because of me, the Emperor of a nation almost died.”

“It’s enough that I didn’t die.”

The two men’s conversation sounded like a chat between old friends.

“I still don’t understand. The Guardian Deity was the most honest and upright person in the sect. At least, that’s how I saw him. He had a strong mind that wouldn’t waver under any external pressure, and he lived according to the values he had set, no matter what anyone said.”

“……”

“How on earth did he change like this?”

“He may have been an upright person, but it seems he wasn’t a strong one.”

Gi Cheon-ung looked at the Emperor.

The Emperor, who always displayed a natural dignity as if breathing, now looked like an old man from some village.

“Belief is the power that sustains the self, the very soul itself. When a person who lives by their beliefs has those beliefs broken, all that remains is the habit of moving straight ahead.”

“……!”

“I don’t know why he tried to kill me, but I believe there was a cause in that man’s heart. If he had lived without a cause, he would have merely followed the Cult Lord and wouldn’t have thought of acting directly.”

“……That’s true.”

“That man was drawing his own picture of the world. It’s quite common for someone who senses that their world cannot come to be to try to return everything to nothing.”

The Emperor’s eyes deepened.

“I was like that too.”

The monarch, who was called a heaven-sent talent and tried to take responsibility for the lives of all people, fell into an environment where he could do nothing and indulged in wine and women, ignoring the political situation.

In fact, the Emperor had given up at that time. Although he tried to hide himself for the future, it wasn’t that he hadn’t considered giving up everything due to his unparalleled frustration.

It took the Emperor about a year to regain his senses.

That year could be said to be the fastest and slowest time in the Emperor’s life.

“I was strong. But it wasn’t because I was strong that I rose again. I became strong the moment I tried to rise.”

“……”

“Was that man strong? No, he wasn’t. He only appeared to be strong. If he had truly been strong, he would have killed your son long ago or stripped him of his position and sent him into exile.”

“……!”

“In the end, even in your son’s eyes, that man was an unstable person who could be used depending on the circumstances.”

Gi Cheon-ung sighed once more.

The thought that the Divine Flame Sect had become like this because of his own greed for greater power, which led him to leave the sect, filled him with unspeakable self-loathing.

“What else can I say? I came here to join forces, but I brought a bomb with me, so how can the Emperor trust me?”

The Emperor said with a smile.

“I was a little disappointed, it’s true.”

“You don’t have to grant my wishes. I will fight them in my own way. Even if the martial world criticizes and attacks me and my followers, we will silently fight on our own.”

The Emperor, listening to Gi Cheon-ung’s words, asked Yeon-wi.

“What does the Clan Head think of the Cult Lord’s words?”

“May I dare to offer a word, Your Majesty?”

“Let’s drop the formalities, at least when it’s just us. That’s an imperial order.”

Yeon-wi raised his head straight and spoke.

“I think it’s a simple and convenient escape.”

Gi Cheon-ung’s eyes wavered.

The Emperor burst into laughter.

“Do you know why I like the Clan Head? It’s not because he’s smart or strong. It’s because he lives wisely while possessing an upright heart. That’s not easy at all.”

“You flatter me.”

Yeon-wi looked at Gi Cheon-ung and said,

“Whatever the reason, the subordinate you brought tried to assassinate His Majesty. This is a major event that could shake the entire nation.”

“……I know.”

“Then you must take responsibility for it.”

“Isn’t that why I said this?”

“As I said, saying you’ll drop your demands is an escape and an irresponsible statement. You know that’s not how you take responsibility, don’t you?”

“Then what do you want me to do?”

“His Majesty will tell you that. However, His Majesty has a heart as vast as the sea, so I dare to predict that he will not attack or expel you just because of this incident.”

Gi Cheon-ung looked at the Emperor.

The Emperor’s lips curled up.

“If you’re going to take responsibility, you should think about working harder, not trying to run away, shouldn’t you?”

Gi Cheon-ung sighed once more.

Though he said that, it was as if the Emperor had said he would let this matter go unpunished.

Of course, if the Divine Flame Sect’s forces were to suddenly disappear from the imperial palace’s surveillance, that in itself could become a problem. But before looking at such a situation, the Emperor had understood and forgiven his feelings.

“What can I say? I am grateful for the Emperor’s magnanimity and broad mind.”

“Whatever happened, it’s enough that I’m safe. What’s important is the future, and you can’t be suspicious and paranoid if you want to draw the future.”

“……”

“In my eyes, and in Clan Head Yeon’s eyes, the Cult Lord had no intention of harming me. We judged that way, and we won’t have any unnecessary doubts.”

“I can only be grateful.”

“However, in addition to what Clan Head Yeon said, there is one thing you must give me to take responsibility.”

“What would you like me to do?”

“The Fire Essence.”

“……!!”

Not only Gi Cheon-ung but also Yeon-wi’s eyes widened. They had never imagined that the Emperor would ask for the Divine Flame Sect’s Fire Essence.

“If it’s the Fire Essence… do you mean you want to know how to form the Fire Essence?”

“What else could it mean?”

“That is…!”

“Why?”

The Emperor asked with a mischievous face.

“Is it too precious?”

Gi Cheon-ung, who had been quietly looking at the Emperor, gave a wry smile.

“The Fire Essence is a divine martial art and at the same time a cursed demonic art. The moment you become overly greedy, it’s a bomb that will burn your whole body.”

“I’ve heard that.”

“Can you handle it?”

“I must handle it.”

It was a strange statement.

Not ‘can handle it,’ but ‘must handle it.’

“The reason I want to obtain the Fire Essence is to extend my lifespan, not to become stronger.”

“……!”

“Why? Is it unexpected?”

“Honestly… yes.”

“If it were to become stronger, I could learn the techniques of the Curved Path or ask Clan Head Yeon over there to find a martial art that suits my body.”

“Of course, that’s true.”

The Emperor looked up at the sky.

“I may look healthy on the outside, but I know. The lifespan of this body is not that long.”

“……”

“My dream is for this world to regain peace. There is no such thing as permanent peace in the world, but if I can at least make the lives of the suffering people a little better, I can consider my destiny fulfilled.”

“……”

“But the war is not known when it will end, and my lifespan is decreasing day by day. There are too many things I have to deal with to spend my days learning internal energy techniques or immortal elixirs to extend my life.”

“So, the Fire Essence?”

“And I will die.”

“What do you mean?”

The Emperor was silent for a moment.

The Emperor’s face as he looked at Yahareuk was indifferent. However, Gi Cheon-ung and Yeon-wi could tell that his mind and thoughts had become more complex than ever.

After a while.

“From the moment I first heard Clan Head Yeon’s words, I sensed that man’s purpose was to kill me.”

“……”

“And I thought, is it not possible to use that situation, that man’s actions?”

“……?”

“Finally, the answer came. In fact, the answer had come long ago, but I wondered if it was truly the right thing to do.”

“What is that answer?”

“Wouldn’t it be fine if I really died?”

Gi Cheon-ung’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

The Emperor said calmly.

“Today, in this place, I have died.”