MTLNOVEL Chapter 187: Her Monsters Wear Red
They called them ghosts.
Whispers carried through the camp faster than horses could gallop—about the quiet deaths, the names scrubbed from tent posts, the sudden silences that followed entire lines of noble-born officers. They didn't scream. They didn't get trials. They simply vanished.
That was the beauty of it.
Because it wasn't fear that held the Red Demon Army together now—it was belief.
And the belief was in me.
I didn't ask for that.
But that didn't mean that I would reject it either.
The morning air was bitter, still heavy with ash and the memory of burned meat. We had passed judgment on those around us. Phase two was now complete. There were fewer enemies within our walls than ever before, but my pulse didn't slow. I wasn't relieved. I didn't think that life was fine now and that everything was over.
Just because the enemies in the light had been dealt with, it didn't mean that there weren't still enemies in the dark.
I hadn't slept. Not really. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the Third Prince's face… the ice cold water running over mine, the sound of my own heartbeat echoing inside my head as I was tortured.
And I saw myself smiling through it all.
They didn't understand what that had done to me.
What it had woken up.
I tightened the sash around my waist and stepped into the strategy tent before anyone could stop me. Deming and Longzi were already there, murmuring over the map like the mountains might shift under their fingertips. Mingyu sat at the center—silent, cold, steady. His eyes snapped to mine the moment I entered, and for a brief second, something in them softened.
But only for me.
"Report?" I asked.
"We've secured the eastern ridgelines," Longzi said. "Yaozu has full control of the trade routes. No word out, no word in."
"What about Baiguang?"
Deming shifted. "No movement yet. But they're planning something. They've started assembling tribute troops from surrounding provinces—calling it a show of strength."
"They won't strike first," Mingyu added, voice flat. "Not until they have full justification. They'll need a witness. Or a martyr."
"Then let's give them one," I said.
Four sets of eyes turned toward me.
Yizhen looked amused. "You volunteering, sweetheart?"
I stepped forward, palms flat on the table, gaze on the lines carved into parchment. "No. But I think it's time they saw exactly who they're at war with."
"You want to reveal yourself?" Deming asked.
I nodded. "Let them see what I am. No more hiding behind masks or rumors. If they want to call me a demon—fine. Let them be right."
Mingyu didn't move.
But I could feel him watching me.
And I knew what he wanted to ask: Are you sure? Are you ready for what that means?
I didn't look away.
I had spent years in the dark, eleven to be exact. Hidden behind trees and fog and distance. Safe in a mountain. But I wasn't living. Not truly.
I was tired of pretending I was something I wasn't.
"I'll handle it," I said. "Let Baiguang come. I'll greet them myself."
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That night, I left the camp alone.
I didn't take any guards. I left Shadow sleeping in the corner of my tent, and not even Yaozu followed behind me, watching my back. The others objected, of course. Mingyu was the loudest.
But he didn't stop me.
Because somewhere deep down, he knew I needed this.
The clearing wasn't far—just beyond the ridge where the trees opened into a wide stretch of frost-touched grass. I stood at the edge of it and lit a single brazier, then waited.
And waited.
It didn't take long.
The Baiguang scouts approached just before midnight.
Two riders in light armor atop swift horses. They paused the moment they saw the fire, clearly cautious. But I didn't run when they stopped me. I didn't hide. I stepped into the circle of light with my hands at my sides.
"You've crossed into Daiyu's territory," one of them called, pretending to be one of Mingyu's army. Apparently, they didn't know who I was.
"No," I said. "I am Daiyu's territory."
That made them hesitate.
One of them dismounted, reaching for the blade at his hip. "You're the consort," he said, his eyes narrowing on my face as he took in my appearance. "The one who—"
"Died?" I offered. "Or the one who murdered a favored Prince with her bare hands and got away with it?"
The man paled as I stepped forward.
My boots left no print in the frost. The wind curled around my hair, but the air near my skin didn't stir. Everything was quiet. Frozen.
Then I raised a hand…and bent the blade at his waist without touching it.
His eyes went wide as the metal melted like wax, dripping to the earth before it snaked over to me like it was coming home.
The other one turned and bolted, spurring his horse northward. I let him go. After all, someone needed to be sure that my message was delivered.
The first scout dropped to his knees, looking up at me in fear.
"Tell your prince," I said calmly. "Tell him I'm real. And I'm waiting."
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When I returned to camp, the firelight was low.
Mingyu was sitting outside the command tent, cloak loose around his shoulders, fingers loosely gripping a wine cup he hadn't touched.
"You let them both live," he said, without looking up.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because dead men can't carry fear, and they definitely can't deliver a message." I sat beside him. "Now I've given him incentive. He'll be faster than any pigeon."
He let out a breath. "You're sure about this? Once this starts—there's no stepping back."
"I stepped over the line the moment I let myself be taken," I shrugged.
He turned to me. And for once, his eyes weren't cold.
They were burning.
"I'm going to take everything from them," he said. "Every inch of land, every breath of arrogance. For you."
"And I'll burn the path for you to walk," I answered, a smile on my face.
We didn't kiss.
We didn't need to.
We just sat there, two monsters in human skin, each speaking the same language as we listened to the wind dancing around us.
And in the distance, a scream echoed—carried far on the back of a galloping horse, all the way to Baiguang's gates.
But I didn't smile.
Because this wasn't triumph.
This was just the first drumbeat.
And my war had only just begun.