Chapter 473: Torch of the Alliance's Destruction
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 473: Torch of the Alliance's Destruction
"This junior offers her greetings to the seniors."
Ja So-ryeong bowed her head deeply, offering a polite greeting to everyone in the room.
"My name is Ja So-ryeong."
She slowly raised her head and began to speak.
"What?!"
"Ja So-ryeong?!"
"How are you here?!"
Exclamations of shock erupted throughout the hall. It was because a completely unexpected person had appeared.
Ja So-ryeong?
Wasn't she the spy for the Demonic Cult who was known to have fled to the Cult a few months ago with the Cheonmu Alliance's classified information?
How could such a woman show her face in Jinan, the very heart of the Cheonmu Alliance? It was absurd.
"Why is a spy of the Demonic Cult like you here!" Yoon Kang-jin asked her, his voice trembling with surprise.
"Sect Leader of the Geumjeop Sect," Ja So-ryeong called out to him in a calm tone. "Do you truly believe I am a spy?"
She continued, her voice tinged with a questioning note.
"Of course!"
"And why do you think that?"
"The Cheonmu Alliance announced it—"
Yoon Kang-jin’s voice trailed off.
"Is there any evidence?"
"Naturally!"
If it was evidence they wanted, there was plenty. There were numerous witnesses.
"What kind of evidence was there?"
"There were witnesses who testified that you were engaged in espionage."
"And who were these witnesses?"
"…That is unknown. Their identities were kept strictly hidden for witness protection."
"In the end, it means you have never actually seen them."
"…That is correct."
Yoon Kang-jin nodded heavily at her words. He couldn't deny the logic.
"Don't you find it strange?"
"…What are you getting at?"
"The testimonies exist, but the witnesses themselves are nothing but shadows."
"............"
Yoon Kang-jin fell into a tight-lipped silence. She wasn't wrong. Come to think of it, despite the numerous incidents that had occurred, he had never once seen a witness. Under the pretext of witness protection, only the testimonies existed; the witnesses themselves never showed their faces.
"Is that not because of the Alliance Law that dictates witnesses must be protected?!"
Song Gyeong, who had been listening quietly, interjected.
"Indeed, such a law exists. I don't think it's a bad law, either. If a witness were to appear publicly, they could become a victim of retaliatory crimes."
She nodded as she spoke.
"However, it cannot be called a good law, either."
Ja So-ryeong’s eyes flashed coldly.
"Because it allows those in power to manipulate cases however they please."
"What?!"
Song Gyeong asked back, bewildered, as if questioning the intent behind her words.
"Since there is no need to present a witness, fabricated testimonies can be created at will. For the sake of convenience."
"That… that’s!"
"And I, too, became a victim of such fabricated testimony."
Ja So-ryeong looked around at the assembly with sorrowful eyes.
"I worked my entire life to enter the Phoenix Hall. To overcome my lack of talent, I swung my sword from the moment I woke up until I fell asleep. My father, despite our meager means, said he would grant his daughter’s wish and personally sought out Elixirs to brew for me. Perhaps it was thanks to his devotion? After failing three times, I was finally able to enter the Phoenix Hall. I had achieved my dream."
Ja So-ryeong began to recount her life as if reminiscing, her voice filled with profound sadness.
"But that dream was shattered not long after. By the horrific Lee Jae-won. He kidnapped me. He took me to a damp, dark basement located deep within the Cheonmu Alliance. There, I lost the purity I had cherished so dearly, and I was violated by him, treated as less than a beast. Over and over… relentlessly… I begged him, telling him it hurt, but he wouldn't listen. Instead, he asked me to scream more… to burst into more cries of pain…"
Shudder.
Ja So-ryeong began to tremble violently, as if the horrific memories were resurfacing. But she soon gathered her courage and spoke again. She was driven by the single-minded determination to reveal the truth to them—to all the victims.
"He… he told me… that kids these days… are weak. That they lose their minds after just a little bit of rape. He said since supply is difficult lately… he’d have to use me for one more month before throwing me away. He didn't see me as a woman… no, not even as a human. He saw me as a… tool that could be killed at any time according to his needs. Your lovers, daughters, and wives were likely treated the same way. Just as tools… tools for his sexual desire. Even though we are human beings…"
Tear.
A transparent line began to trace down Ja So-ryeong’s fair cheek. She was weeping. The sorrow, insult, and shame of being treated as sub-human welled up from deep within her heart.
"................"
"................"
Those who heard her words all wore grim expressions. Not a few of them were on the verge of exploding with rage. Fury surged within them at the fact that their lovers and families had been treated so inhumanely.
"After living like that… as a sex toy for a week… I was lucky enough… to escape. It was thanks to an unexpected ally who helped me. I intended to go home. Forgetting my lifelong dream of the Phoenix Hall and my ambition to make a name for myself as a female martial artist, I just wanted to go home and live with my parents for the rest of my life. But on the day I escaped, I became a spy for the Demonic Cult. I was framed for fleeing with the Cheonmu Alliance’s classified documents…"
Tremble.
Ja So-ryeong’s entire body shook as she continued. Uncontrollable rage was rising within her.
"And the day after I was revealed to be a Demonic Cult spy, my clan was massacred. By the hands of the proud Alliance Leader, Lee Jae-won."
She spoke in a calm, steady tone.
"................"
"................"
Her composure only served to emphasize the gravity of the situation to the assembly. The story was too vivid, too horrific to be a lie, and it pierced through their hearts without resistance. It was tragic. Their hearts ached instinctively.
"…How… were you able to escape that place?"
Song Gyeong managed to speak, trying to calm his trembling heart.
"…I had an ally. They said they were also a victim who had lost someone precious to Lee Jae-won."
She continued in her calm tone.
"..........."
"..........."
After her words, silence began to flow through the room. No one opened their mouth. Everyone was lost in deep thought, trying to organize the chaos in their minds.
After a long time had passed…
"Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor, Yoon Je-gyun, who had been silent, burst into boisterous laughter.
"Khahahaha! Hahahaha!"
He laughed. He laughed and laughed again. As if he were joyful, as if it were the most delightful thing in the world.
The assembly looked at him with bewildered expressions. How could he burst into such laughter in a situation like this? It was utterly incomprehensible.
"Hahaha, so that’s how it was. That’s what happened… Hahahaha."
He spoke with a happy smile on his face.
Scrape.
Stand.
Then, he slowly rose from his seat.
Step. Step.
He began to walk away.
"Wait, Senior, where are you going?"
Song Gyeong asked, startled by his sudden movement. Where could he possibly be going?
"Isn't it obvious?" Yoon Je-gyun replied, as if asking why he was even questioning it. "I’m going to kill Lee Jae-won."
He spoke in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.
"Whaaaat!?!?"
Hearing his words, Song Gyeong let out a scream of pure shock. Kill Lee Jae-won? What on earth did that mean?
"The true culprit who killed my one and only precious granddaughter has been revealed. Why would I waste any more time?"
"But Senior! It hasn't been proven for certain yet!"
"Are you a fool?"
Yoon Je-gyun continued, his expression turning cold.
"Everything is clear, yet why do you continue to shield the Alliance Leader? Wake up. That man is a demon who raped and murdered your daughter and left her corpse mutilated."
Yoon Je-gyun’s eyes gleamed with a murderous aura.
"…Do you truly," Song Gyeong began slowly, "think so?"
"I’ll ask you instead. Do you truly believe he isn't the one?"
"............"
At Yoon Je-gyun’s question, Song Gyeong fell silent. He asked himself: did he truly believe he wasn't the culprit, or was he simply denying reality?
Soon, Song Gyeong stood up.
"I was a fool."
He spoke, his eyes flashing with simmering rage.
"To not even recognize my enemy when he was right before my eyes."
Stand.
Stand.
Stand.
Following Song Gyeong’s words, those who were seated began to rise one by one. Their eyes were filled with deep, burning resentment. They were furious at the utterly loathsome Lee Jae-won.
They did not wail. They had already shed enough tears at the funerals. They simply intended to pursue a bloody revenge—to strip Lee Jae-won of everything he possessed.
Led by Yoon Je-gyun, the people began to head toward the iron door.
"Please wait a moment."
Ja So-ryeong’s father, Ja Il-gwang, blocked their path.
"Step aside," Yoon Je-gyun said calmly.
"If you go now, it will be nothing but a dog's death," Ja Il-gwang said with a grim expression.
"It doesn't matter. I simply intend to unleash everything I have upon that son of a bitch. I do not fear death."
Yoon Je-gyun spoke quietly, his cold fury erupting. Though fifteen years had passed, he still remembered that day vividly. It was a day of heavy rain. His granddaughter, who loved rainy days because the sound of the rain lifted her spirits, was found as a cold corpse on such a day.
Her face, which was so fair she was called the Greatest Beauty of Jinan, was covered in bruises from a beating. Both her breasts had been cut off, and her genitals were so severely mutilated they were crushed beyond recognition.
That day, for the first time in his life, Yoon Je-gyun wept sorrowfully. He, who hadn't cried even when his son and daughter-in-law died in an accident; he, who was praised for having a heart of steel and was respected by countless martial artists, had wept. He wept incessantly, like a small child.
He wept from the self-reproach of failing to protect his beloved granddaughter, from the guilt of failing to protect the precious jewel left behind by his deceased son and daughter-in-law, and from the sense of loss at having lost his last remaining blood relative.
And he had vowed. He would catch the culprit and kill him, no matter what.
And now, the culprit had been revealed. And so clearly, at that.
How could he endure it? How could he stay still? How could he be told to leave alone the man he wouldn't be satisfied with even if he tore him into a thousand, ten thousand pieces?
Grit.
"Step aside… in my current state… I cannot control myself."
Yoon Je-gyun managed to force the words out through gritted teeth. The rage enveloping his entire body was utterly uncontrollable.
"You must look at the bigger picture! If you all swarm in there now, the Cheonmu Alliance will surely brand everyone, including you, Senior, as rebels colluding with the Demonic Cult!"
Ja Il-gwang spoke passionately, looking at the furious Yoon Je-gyun. Though he addressed Yoon Je-gyun, it was a warning to everyone present who was letting their anger explode.
Choosing revenge in this manner was far too reckless. It was a self-evident fact that even if they all attacked together, they wouldn't be able to touch a single hair on Lee Jae-won’s head. It would be nothing but a dog's death.
"Then are you telling me to just endure this!"
Yoon Je-gyun let out a roar of fury. The anger that had reached the top of his head had finally exploded. He knew. He knew that going to Lee Jae-won now would only result in a dog's death. He knew that if he died like that, he would die dishonorably as a spy for the Demonic Cult.
But even so, he couldn't stop his steps. With a rage hotter than the sun burning deep within his heart, how could he be told to quietly suppress it? It was a massive rage that had been fermenting for fifteen long years. It wouldn't be suppressed easily.
"I am not telling you to endure it! I am telling you to delay it for a more thorough revenge."
Ja Il-gwang continued in a calm tone.
"Thorough revenge?"
Hearing those words, Yoon Je-gyun momentarily faltered. The phrase "thorough revenge" had caught his attention.
"Yes. He must be punished. He must feel all the pain, loss, suffering, and rage that we have felt!"
Ja Il-gwang’s bloodshot eyes gleamed as he spoke.
"How… exactly?"
Yoon Je-gyun asked, his excitement cooling slightly.
"I have a good method. A way to bring about Lee Jae-won’s complete and utter downfall."
Ja Il-gwang’s eyes sparkled.
"But for that method to work, I need the cooperation of everyone here."
Ja Il-gwang looked around the assembly.
"Will you all cooperate with me?"
In Ja Il-gwang’s eyes as he sought their cooperation, a profound sense of vengeance was deeply etched—a desperate desire for the downfall of Lee Jae-won, the man who had taken everything from him.
Perhaps they were swayed by that vengeance, for everyone in the hall nodded in unison. Like Ja Il-gwang, they were burning with a madness-tinged desire for revenge.
Without Lee Jae-won’s knowledge, the Torch of the Alliance's Destruction began to burn.