Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 999

“Has the Alliance Chief arrived?”

“Yes.”

“Please, have a seat.”

Even with the sudden appearance of Gong Gong, Jeagal Mun-Ho was not surprised.

After Jeagal Ayeon quickly brought tea and left the office, Gong Gong remained silent until the teacup was placed on the table.

Jeagal Mun-Ho studied his expression.

Calm and composed. Even the military advisor of the Martial Alliance could not easily read anything from Gong Gong’s expression.

“Please, drink.”

“Not bad.”

For a moment, he thought it was a comment about the tea’s fragrance.

Gong Gong added as he picked up the teacup,

“It’s not bad, but it seems too dangerous.”

Only then did Jeagal Mun-Ho realize that Gong Gong was talking about matters related to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“It is dangerous.”

“I believed that the military advisor had his own thoughts, so I didn’t ask further.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“My feelings are the same now. It’s not because I’m not interested in the Alliance’s affairs, as the military advisor knows.”

“Of course.”

“However, the actions of the Vice Alliance Chief must have been permitted by the military advisor, and I just received a report that the Vice Alliance Chief is heading towards the Namgoong Clan.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes deepened.

“I also heard about it just before the Alliance Chief arrived.”

Gong Gong, who had been calmly looking at Jeagal Mun-Ho, put the teacup down again.

He didn’t even drink it. There was no change in Gong Gong’s face, which was usually so expressive.

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who wouldn’t even blink in front of any master, couldn’t help but feel tense in front of Gong Gong’s demeanor.

“Military Advisor.”

“Yes, Alliance Chief.”

“Are you trying to instill fear?”

This was it.

This was proof that Gong Gong was not only strong in martial arts and of good character, but also had an exceptional insight.

Jeagal Mun-Ho nodded obediently.

“Yes, I am.”

He was prepared to accept any reprimand.

Jeagal Mun-Ho steeled his resolve.

Then, Gong Gong sighed and said,

“I will take on that role.”

“…Yes?”

“It is right for me to do it.”

“Ch, Chief Alliance.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho was rarely flustered.

Gong Gong shook his head and continued,

“I realized what you were thinking after seeing the Vice Alliance Chief’s actions. If you had intended to handle this situation smoothly, the Vice Alliance Chief wouldn’t have gone directly to the Crimson Gate.”

“……”

“The Alliance Chief can be replaced. But the military advisor cannot be replaced, as long as their abilities do not diminish.”

“Alliance Chief. But…”

“The position of Alliance Chief is not just a figurehead. It is not just a position to rule.”

Gong Gong’s eyes were deep and clear.

“It is a position to fulfill responsibilities.”

He was the kind of person who could say such things.

Of course, he already knew it. He knew it, but hearing those words in front of him made him feel a strange surge of emotion.

However.

“It cannot be, Alliance Chief.”

“……”

“You are the master of the Martial Alliance, one of the two pillars of the Black and White Alliance. How can you bear such disgrace…”

“Did you say disgrace?”

Gong Gong’s eyes sharpened for a moment.

“For me, disgrace is not being able to properly understand the condition of my subordinates and pushing them, only to later hear that I failed to manage my people.”

“…!!”

“I knew that the military advisor’s health had weakened considerably. But if I had known it was to this extent, I would have made you rest until you were fully recovered, even if I had to risk everything.”

“…Alliance Chief.”

“Moyong Clan Head explained it to me.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho gritted his teeth.

“Moyong Clan Head was angry with me. Frankly, he held back because I am the Alliance Chief, otherwise, a fight would have broken out.”

“To that extent…”

“And Moyong Clan Head’s anger is justified. Who wouldn’t be angry?”

“Alliance Chief.”

“Ultimately, it is my fault. I should have paid more attention, I should have been more concerned. However, if the military advisor had been aware of his own importance, I believe you could have given me a hint.”

Gong Gong was angry for the first time. It was even more frightening and intense because it was anger expressed with a calm face and a calm voice.

And that anger was directed at himself. Jeagal Mun-Ho didn’t feel angry, just a slight sense of disappointment.

“If we try to take responsibility for each other, the future of the organization will be bright. But if there is no proper communication, even if everyone does their best, it will collapse at any time.”

“……”

“Let’s talk more and take more responsibility for each other.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who was looking at Gong Gong with trembling eyes, lowered his head.

“I failed to understand the Alliance Chief’s heart. Please forgive me.”

“I am the one who should be asking for forgiveness.”

‘It’s not the empty monk, but me.’ Just that expression showed how much Gong Gong was hurting because of this.

He took out an object wrapped in a red cloth from his chest.

“Take this.”

“…What is this?”

“It is an order from the Alliance Chief. Take it here.”

“Alliance Chief?”

“Hurry.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who had been quietly looking at Gong Gong, unwrapped the cloth.

Inside the cloth was a golden pill that had no fragrance.

“This is…?”

“Take it.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who had been quietly looking at Gong Gong, put the pill in his mouth.

The pill dissolved like water as soon as it touched his tongue. If he hadn’t closed his mouth in time, the golden liquid would have spilled out.

Jeagal Mun-Ho swallowed the pill in one gulp.

Gong Gong nodded.

“It is a Small Revitalization Pill (小丸丹) [a potent medicinal pill], which is very potent, but the head of our medicine division handled it directly to minimize the side effects while retaining most of its power.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes widened.

“S, Small Revitalization Pill?!”

“It is more specialized in replenishing essence than increasing internal energy. Even without circulating your energy, your vitality will increase over time.”

“Alliance Chief…!”

Jeagal Mun-Ho didn’t say how he could give him such a precious thing. He could only look at Gong Gong with moved eyes.

Only then, as if relieved, Gong Gong spoke with a more relaxed face.

“Since the military advisor didn’t tell me, I also investigated various matters within the Alliance.”

He naturally changed the subject.

Jeagal Mun-Ho calmed his agitated heart. Even if he seemed to have nothing to do, the Alliance Chief was also busy. He couldn’t waste time.

“Yes.”

“While investigating, I realized once again that the military advisor was very tired.”

“Yes?”

Gong Gong took out a small document from his chest and handed it to him.

“Read it.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho immediately opened the document and read it.

After a while.

“……”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes changed.

Gong Gong smiled.

“Indeed, the military advisor knows what it means just by looking at a series of information.”

“This is, could it be…”

“The intelligence agents of the Military Advisor’s Office are numerous and elite, so they focus more on matters outside the Alliance than within.”

It wasn’t that the Military Advisor’s Office intelligence agents were incompetent. Rather, in terms of work ability, they were comparable to the Beggars’ Sect. [a large information network]

It was just a matter of what their more specialized skills were, and which areas they analyzed more thoroughly.

“There are those who directly bring me information under Hu Gae’s orders. There are also members of sects related to the main branch. I have received their information after filtering it one by one.”

“This is…!!”

“If the military advisor had been physically stronger, you would not have missed this.”

Now was not the time to talk about mistakes.

Jeagal Mun-Ho swallowed hard and said,

“Could it be, about Ho-Jeong?”

Gong Gong nodded.

Jeagal Mun-Ho gritted his teeth.

“What an idiot…!!”

The target of his curse was himself.

“How could this be… Why didn’t I think of this?”

“Ultimately, what they want is not much different from what we expected. However, if we had noticed it in advance, we could have told the Vice Alliance Chief not to go directly to the Crimson Gate.”

“This is not the time for this. I must hurry to Ho-Jeong…!!”

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who had hurriedly stood up, then shut his mouth.

Gong Gong nodded.

“That’s right. The deed is already done.”

“We must prepare.”

“No, there is no need to do that.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s use the spy detection unit that Moyong Clan Head brought right now.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes wavered.

“…If we do that, Ho-Jeong will continue to suffer.”

“I know.”

“Alliance Chief?!”

Gong Gong closed his eyes.

“Let’s wait until the very end. Until I can take responsibility.”

“…!!”

“And the Vice Alliance Chief will also have approached the essence of this situation by now. But just in case, we should send someone to confirm the facts with the Vice Alliance Chief when the time is right.”

Gong Gong sighed as he looked out the window.

“Let’s prepare ourselves. Prepare to be torn apart.”

* * *

When Yeon Ho-Jeong arrived in front of the Namgoong Clan’s residence.

“……”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had stopped walking, looked around at the warriors blocking the front of the Namgoong Clan.

Jin Yang muttered involuntarily.

“What the hell is this, shit…”

Over a hundred warriors, fully armed, were glaring at the two of them.

Most of them looked tense. It was inevitable. Their opponent was one of the Saintly Heavens [a title for extremely powerful martial artists].

However, one thing was clear in everyone’s mind: hostility. It was honestly revealed in their eyes and their aura.

Jin Yang whispered to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“What is this? I have a strong feeling that something is fucked up…”

“What else? It means the unease I felt was real.”

“What the hell was that unease?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t answer. There was no need to answer.

He closed his eyes for a moment and expanded his senses.

“…It’s rather fortunate. It seems the Sword Saint and the Blade Saint elders are not here.”

“The Unrivaled Ones [the strongest martial artists] are said to have gone to train beyond the Great Dividing Mountain Range. They said to call them if something happened.”

“That’s what the position of Unrivaled One is like. It’s a blessing that they even belong to us.”

“But are you really not going to tell me what that unease was?”

“Nope.”

“Tch.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had opened his eyes, looked at the faces of the warriors once more.

Some of them had impure intentions like that Hang Yo. There were those who wanted to lead the world, those who were moved by their desires.

But the others were convinced that their actions were right.

He saw conviction. A conviction that had been firmly sealed by exploiting weak subjectivity, a conviction born from malicious incitement.

Yeon Ho-Jeong suddenly recalled the words that countless people had said to him.

‘There are a few people who are moving this world right now. That is the core that creates the flow. And you are one of those few cores.’

‘The others are fine. We have to kill that axe first. That guy is the core of this force.’

‘We need to send one of the core masters of the current Martial Alliance and the leader of the Yu Army to the Mukryong Division. We need to know even the smallest details about the Mukryong Division Chief.’

‘You were the core of the Martial Alliance’s political scene.’

‘It’s you. You are the center of the current martial world.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked up at the sky.

That’s right. He had become the center of the martial world.

In this war, in this world, he had become the core of a storm that was incomparable to anyone else.

“…When I let go, I finally see the sky.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had criticized the sky’s indifference in a calm voice, lowered his head again.

A suffocating standoff.

‘If I have to carry only the black stones.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been looking at them for a long time, opened his mouth.

“Get out of my way.”

Swoosh.

The warriors reached for the hilts of their swords.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s calm face twisted into a demonic expression in an instant.

“I said, get out of my way!”

Krrrrrr!

It was as if thunder was echoing in the cloudless sky. A terrifying presence was cast by the outburst.

“From this moment until the end of the war, I will abandon the Yeon surname! I speak only as the next leader of the Black Path Alliance, and anyone who dares to block my path, regardless of their rank or reason, will be struck down!”

Kwarururung!!

The golden aura that was erupting seemed to cover the entire world.

Thud!

The Golden Dragon Aura caused an earthquake.

“I command you for the last time.”

The warriors’ faces turned pale.

More than half of them collapsed on the spot in the face of the overwhelming storm of killing intent.

“All of you, get lost!”