Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 993

After a moment of silence, Ha Beon spoke with a somewhat cautious tone.

“Hey, Vice-Chief. Even so, this doesn’t look good.”

“What do you mean by ‘look’?”

“You are the youngest powerhouse to have your name on the Saintly Heavens list [a prestigious ranking of top martial artists]. Frankly, there are few in the current martial world who can match you. If someone like you comes directly and says such things, it could be seen as an excessively harsh threat, don’t you think?”

It was a brazen statement.

It was not only brazen but also a statement that was difficult for a martial artist pursuing martial arts to make easily.

In other words, you are strong, and we are weak. If someone like you comes to us, the weak, and asks for a fight, it might seem unreasonable.

Ha Beon’s words were like that.

Rather, the Seven Red Flowers, upon hearing his words, stared at Ha Beon with their mouths agape.

The Red Spear Gate Leader, Ha Beon, whom they served, was a strong-willed warrior who never lost his spirit in any situation. He was a master with a fiery demeanor who would advance fearlessly even in the face of death.

Such a person was humbling himself. It was hard to believe even when seeing it directly.

However, from Ha Beon’s perspective, it was only natural.

He could face death if he were alone. However, the opponent was one of the Saintly Heavens, the most promising talent in the martial world who had the trust of both the Martial Alliance and the Black Dragon Unit. [The Black Dragon Unit is a powerful military force.]

Moreover, with rumors circulating that even the Emperor coveted Yeon Ho-Jeong, creating conflict with him was nothing short of madness.

The Red Spear Gate’s hundred-year history could crumble overnight. It wasn’t just about people dying; it could also tarnish the sect’s name.

If death was fate, he could accept it, but if the name of the Red Spear Gate was sullied, he couldn’t close his eyes even in death. He wouldn’t have the face to meet his ancestors.

“Did you say ‘oppression’?”

“Yes.”

“Then, what about the actions of the Red Spear Gate members who, under the banner of the Black and White alliance, hurled unspeakable insults at the two Black Path masters who had entered the Martial Alliance, whom they had considered enemies for life, and then left laughing?”

“……!”

“That is when the word ‘oppression’ should be used. Frankly, even if the Red Spear Gate Leader himself stepped forward, he wouldn’t last ten seconds against them. Yet, they endured.”

At that moment, the youngest of the Seven Red Flowers, the Seven-Bladed Spear, spoke up.

“Even so, your words are too harsh.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at the Seven-Bladed Spear.

The face of the Seven-Bladed Spear, who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, was flushed red.

“To come to our sect and insult our leader like that, even if your name is high in the Saintly Heavens, isn’t this too much?”

“Which part of my words is an insult? Is it the part where I said the leader’s martial prowess cannot handle the two masters?”

“That’s right!”

“Then, wouldn’t it be resolved by having a duel?”

The Seven-Bladed Spear’s face hardened.

The Four-Bladed Spear, who was standing next to him, spoke cautiously.

“Vice-Chief. Private duels are forbidden within the Alliance.”

“Well said. So, you just insulted the Black Path members who are our allies and left? Knowing that they couldn’t retaliate anyway?”

“That is!”

“What exactly are you people?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s voice became colder.

Instead of burning hotter, it became colder. That cold voice sent shivers down the spines of not only Ha Beon but also all of the Seven Red Flowers.

“The Martial Alliance has clearly stated its principles. The Black and White Paths will form an alliance until the war is over. Do you not know the meaning of the word ‘alliance’?”

“…….”

“Private matters can be seen as conflicts between martial artists. However, this issue cannot be seen as a private matter at all. Just think, if you had entered the Black Dragon Unit and a Black Path member had hurled unspeakable insults at you and left, what would you do?”

No matter how brazen they were, they could only become speechless in the face of these words.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Ha Beon and said,

“I’m disappointed, Leader.”

“…….”

“I know that the one who insulted them is young. Yes, let’s say that he did it because of his overflowing youthful vigor. But if he knew the current situation, the greater cause, and the direction of the organization, the leader himself should have brought that young man and apologized with his head bowed.”

Ha Beon’s eyes sharpened.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words were clearly correct. However, his strong anger towards the Black Path often shook his reason.

He had to bow his head to a Black Path member. That statement itself was fueling Ha Beon’s anger.

“Hey, Vice-Chief.”

“What is the greater cause? What is your principle?”

“…….”

“Was your greater cause so trivial that it could only be exercised at your convenience, depending on who the opponent was?”

“Your words are too harsh!”

“If not, why didn’t you bring him and apologize?”

“That is!”

Ha Beon couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Frankly, he knew that his son had committed a somewhat rude act.

However, the opponents were Black Path members. Apologizing to a Black Path member was an unimaginable act. So, he had only given his son a slight warning and had not taken any further action.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s gaze grew colder.

“Do you know? Leader, with your immature response, you have created a crack in the Black and White alliance. It’s not a treaty that is so weak that it will crumble with a small crack, but if there are ten or a hundred people acting like you, the alliance will eventually collapse.”

“…….”

“If you are not confident in taking responsibility for that, then leave the Alliance right now.”

“Leave, you say!”

“The current Martial Alliance is joining hands with the Black Path to prepare for war against foreign forces. In such a situation, do you think it is right to carry along a sect that is not mature enough to cause conflict because they don’t like something personally?”

“Hey!”

“Or!”

For the first time, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s voice carried a strong force.

“Are you people, by any chance, spies of the Three Sects?”

“What nonsense are you spouting!”

“The Three Sects have been eyeing the Central Plains for a long time. Those cruel bastards also know their strategy, so they know that it is advantageous to fight after weakening the opponent. But they failed. Many patriots of the Martial Alliance and the Black Dragon Unit sacrificed their lives to stop them.”

“……!”

“Then, what would the Three Sects want from us now? Of course, it would be for the Black and White Paths to have conflicts and weaken.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong glared at Ha Beon.

“Red Spear Gate Leader, did you really not know what you were doing?”

The tone of his voice had changed.

He didn’t raise his energy, but the atmosphere changed drastically just with the change in his tone.

“Should I really suggest this matter to the Alliance Leader and request it to be put on the agenda of the Bonggong Council?” [The Bonggong Council is likely a governing body within the Martial Alliance.]

Ha Beon’s face turned pale.

Not only him. The Seven Red Flowers also had no choice but to swallow hard.

From the point when it was no longer a personal matter but a matter of the rise and fall of an organization, they had lost their justification. They didn’t have any justification in the first place, but if this matter was really brought up to the Bonggong Council, the Red Spear Gate could be expelled from the Martial Alliance.

“Whether you know it or not, my temper is quite bad. I have always punished those who have done wrong, regardless of gender or age, even to the point of abandoning my position.”

“……!!”

“Yet, do you understand why I came here and brought up the Martial Alliance and the Three Sects?”

Whoosh!

Murdurous intent flared in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes.

“Do you want to handle this officially? Or do you want to handle this privately?”

“V, Vice-Chief. Please calm down…….”

“If it’s handled officially, you will be expelled, and if it’s handled privately, you will all die here.”

It was truly an arrogant statement.

However, that arrogance, under Yeon Ho-Jeong’s intense gaze and solid justification, was causing terrifying fear in Ha Beon and the Seven Flowers.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words were frightening because they were highly likely to come true. Whichever option they chose, the Red Spear Gate was doomed. Its hundred-year history would collapse in an instant.

“The fact that I came directly and asked you to bring out the perpetrator is actually a good thing for you. It means that I intend to end this without any lingering resentment through a duel. My brothers have also accepted that.”

The faces of the Seven Red Flowers were now turning white.

He referred to them not as mere colleagues but as brothers. In other words, the Red Spear Gate had indirectly provoked the most respected figure in the martial world, who was respected not only by the Alliance but also by the Imperial Palace.

“Bring him. If you are warriors, resolve this like warriors.”

Ha Beon closed his eyes tightly.

“……Bring him.”

After a while.

A young man walked over from afar with the One-Bladed Spear.

The young man, with two short spears on his back, had a robust appearance. His foundation was considerable, and his training was quite good.

His eyes were a carbon copy of Ha Beon’s, but his overall features were a bit sharper.

And now, those sharp eyes were quite shaken.

Ha Beon sighed and said,

“Pay your respects. This is Yeon Ho-Jeong, the Vice-Chief of the Black Dragon Unit and one of the Saintly Heavens of this era.”

Ha Jeong-Woong swallowed and then clasped his hands in respect.

“I have heard of your great name. I am Ha Jeong-Woong of the Red Spear Gate.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly looking at Ha Jeong-Woong, turned around and shouted,

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Gang Ryang and Jin Yang entered.

Gang Ryang’s face, as he looked at Ha Jeong-Woong, was more composed than expected.

On the other hand, Jin Yang was frowning. Now that a duel was possible, he seemed rather drained.

That was because the gap was so large that he could blow his head off with a single punch. Having to engage in a grand duel with such a brat was bound to make him feel drained.

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Ha Jeong-Woong and said,

“Did you insult my brothers?”

“Th, that is……!”

“Your father showed a disappointing side by not responding properly due to his personal feelings. Still, he had some backbone.”

“……!”

“If you have the blood of the Red Spear Gate Leader, I believe you won’t do something petty like downplaying what you did.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong raised his chin and said,

“I heard about what happened from my brothers. However, to properly understand the incident, I will also hear your side of the story.”

“…….”

“Explain. What happened?”

Ha Jeong-Woong trembled like an aspen.

His mouth wouldn’t open easily. He was now standing before the most dangerous and violent genius in the martial world, who discussed both the past and the present.

If he made a wrong move, he could die a gruesome death. That fear was gripping Ha Jeong-Woong’s mind and body.

“Th, that is…….”

Nevertheless, Ha Jeong-Woong explained in detail what had happened that day.

He didn’t seem to be trying to downplay anything. That was not because Ha Jeong-Woong was honest, but because he didn’t dare to lie in front of Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial arts were influenced by the extreme upper dantian [a concept in martial arts related to energy centers]. His angry words exerted power at the level of a command.

With Ha Jeong-Woong’s level of power, he couldn’t refuse Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words.

“Th, that’s what happened.”

After listening to all of Ha Jeong-Woong’s words, Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Ha Beon.

Ha Beon was flustered. Even he thought that the insults were severe.

He had mentioned Gang Ryang’s dead parents and mocked Jin Yang for his size.

Jin Yang had lived a life of sorrow because of his unique size, but that was something others couldn’t know, so it could be overlooked.

However, if he had mentioned his dead parents and the destroyed Guicheol Sword Sect, it was a terrible insult that would lead to a life-or-death duel, not just in the Black Path but also in the White Path.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled coldly.

“Do you know how petty and insulting your words were?”

“I…… I, I just thought the Black Path…….”

“I am also the Vice-Chief of the Black Dragon Unit, so say the same thing in front of me.”

Ha Jeong-Woong’s face turned white.

Yeon Ho-Jeong continued calmly.

“Are you ready to resolve this like a warrior?”

“Y, yes?!”

“Prepare yourself.”

Clang!

Gang Ryang drew his sword.

As Yeon Ho-Jeong stepped aside, Gang Ryang’s sword energy began to overwhelm the surroundings.