Chapter 575: Something Unexpected Happens
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 575: Something Unexpected Happens
Whoosh!
The Sword Astral swung by Lee Ye-seol streaked toward Lee Jae-won.
Lee Jae-won pulled his right foot back, using it as a pivot to spin his body. The Sword Astral that had been rushing toward him sliced through nothing but empty air.
'What?!'
Lee Ye-seol’s face contorted with bewilderment. She was stunned by how quickly Lee Jae-won had reacted.
'An opening.'
Lee Jae-won didn't miss the chance.
Smack!
He swung his hand upward, striking her right wrist with precision.
"Ugh!"
Clatter!
A cry of pain escaped Lee Ye-seol’s lips as the agony in her wrist forced her to drop her sword.
Thud.
Lee Jae-won immediately raised the edge of his hand and pressed it against her throat. He intended to end the fight right there with a threat.
Whoosh!
In that desperate moment, Lee Ye-seol swung her leg upward. It seemed she intended to resist until the very end, even without her weapon.
'This brat?'
Lee Jae-won felt a surge of irritation. He didn't like Lee Ye-seol’s defiant attitude. He needed to show the public a perfect display of overwhelming power to solidify his dignity as the World's Greatest Martial Artist. Yet, despite the clear difference in their strength, she kept coming at him again and again.
It was bound to be annoying.
'...What a pain in the ass.'
Grab!
Lee Jae-won swiftly caught her ankle. He hoisted her up and swung her with full force.
Voom!
Lee Ye-seol’s body was hurled into the distance.
Boom! Crash!
A thunderous roar erupted as her body slammed into the ground.
'Ah, shit. I messed up.'
Lee Jae-won’s brow furrowed slightly. His irritation had caused him to fail at controlling his strength.
"Cough... Hack..."
The sound of coughing drifted from the crater where Lee Ye-seol lay. Upon closer inspection, she was spitting up blood. It seemed the impact with the ground had caused significant internal injuries.
'Tsk, tsk. You stupid girl. You should have known when to stop and back down.'
Lee Jae-won clicked his tongue. He found Lee Ye-seol’s behavior—getting hurt through foolish resistance—to be pathetic.
"Do you wish to continue?"
Lee Jae-won asked her, his expression carefully composed and calm.
"........I could do this.... all day."
Hearing his words, Lee Ye-seol raised both hands and clenched her small fists tight. Her resolve to continue the duel was evident.
'Foolish girl.'
Lee Jae-won shook his head slightly at the thought. She was an ignorant, stupid girl. She had likely suffered severe internal injuries from being slammed into the dirt. Furthermore, as a swordsman, she had lost her blade. What exactly did she think she could do in that state?
It was utterly pathetic.
"Magnificent."
Hiding his true thoughts, Lee Jae-won spoke with feigned admiration.
"To show such martial spirit even after suffering internal injuries and losing your sword... you are truly a model for all warriors."
Lee Jae-won continued, looking at her with eyes that seemed full of pride.
"Very well. Come. I shall accept everything you have to offer."
He spoke with a grand, gallant expression.
"Thank you, Alliance Leader."
After offering her thanks, Lee Ye-seol charged at him. Suddenly, Palm Astrals as white as jade began to dance toward Lee Jae-won. It was the Heavenly Moon Falling Shadow Hand, one of the secret techniques of the Heavenly Moon Palace.
'How cute.'
A faint smirk played on Lee Jae-won’s lips. The "best move" Lee Ye-seol had thrown out felt laughably insignificant to him.
'I'll just knock you out completely.'
Lee Jae-won balled his hand into a fist.
Whoosh!
He punched straight through the chaotic flurry of the Heavenly Moon Falling Shadow Hand.
Thud!
"Agh!"
Lee Ye-seol screamed as his fist slammed into her chest. She was sent flying backward once again, unable to withstand the sheer momentum of the blow.
Vooooom!
Lee Ye-seol soared through the air, the force showing no signs of slowing down.
Watching this, Lee Jae-won wore a triumphant expression. While it was a bit painful to see his own daughter get thrashed, he felt that beating her mercilessly would establish his prestige as the Alliance Leader. Moreover, it would certainly capture the public's attention.
'Hehehehe.'
Lee Jae-won let out a sinister internal laugh as he watched Lee Ye-seol fly. He didn't care about his daughter's safety in the slightest.
Whoosh!
Lee Ye-seol continued to fly a considerable distance, heading straight for the wall surrounding the training ground.
The spectators thought the same thing: her body was going to smash into that wall. She would suffer devastating internal injuries. Just as the crowd was about to gasp in pity—
Grab!
Someone caught the flying Lee Ye-seol. They did it with incredible ease.
Skid!
The person was pushed back quite rapidly by the momentum. It seemed they couldn't completely negate the impact immediately.
Skiddddd.
After being pushed back for a moment—
Stop.
The two figures came to a dead halt just inches from the wall.
"What?!"
"What on earth was that?!"
The crowd erupted in shock. They realized that the person had completely neutralized the force of the Alliance Leader's blow before hitting the wall. The spectators immediately turned their gaze toward the man holding Lee Ye-seol.
"Ah!"
Then, they let out a collective exclamation. They had recognized the identity of the man who had saved Lee Ye-seol from crashing into the wall.
It was the Greatest Talent Under Heaven, Jang Sun-woo.
"Are you alright, Lady Lee?"
Sun-woo asked, looking down at Lee Ye-seol cradled in his arms.
"...........I'm.... I'm okay..."
Lee Ye-seol replied, her face flushing a deep red in embarrassment.
"I'm glad you aren't hurt."
Sun-woo added with a small smile.
"Thank you... for saving me..."
She offered her gratitude. She knew that without him, she would have suffered a terrible impact.
"Don't mention it."
Sun-woo replied with a refreshing smile. He then gently lowered Lee Ye-seol to the ground. Once her feet touched the floor, Lee Ye-seol began to fidget and twist her body, clearly overcome with shyness. Anyone could see she was flustered.
"What a handsome couple."
"...As expected, Young Master Jang and Lady Lee..."
"They make a perfect match."
"To think the haughty Lee Ye-seol would act like that."
The spectators focused their attention on the two, whispering amongst themselves. The appearance of a hero and the subtle atmosphere between the beautiful pair had captivated them. After all, people have always loved stories of heroes and romance.
'That... that... that son of a bitch!!! He stole my spotlight!'
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-won was fuming internally, his irritation directed at Sun-woo for snatching away all the attention that should have been his. He had treated Lee Ye-seol harshly specifically to emphasize his impartiality—to be praised by everyone as a fair and just Alliance Leader. But then this brat jumped in out of nowhere and stole the show with such a flashy entrance.
'..........That bastard.'
Lee Jae-won’s eyes began to glint with murderous aura. He was the one who should be receiving the people's attention. He was the one who should be in the spotlight. But this little shit had robbed him of it. A murderous urge surged within him. He wanted to kill the boy and take the attention back.
".......Hahaha... Thank you."
However, Lee Jae-won soon let out a boisterous laugh and expressed his gratitude, hiding his murderous intent as best he could.
"I failed to control my strength and almost seriously injured my own daughter."
Lee Jae-won continued with an awkward expression. To anyone watching, he looked like a father reflecting on a mistake.
"Not at all. I only did what was natural."
Sun-woo replied in a calm tone.
"Hahahaha... What a humble fellow."
Lee Jae-won laughed heartily.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"It is no mere compliment. This Alliance Leader does not make things up."
Lee Jae-won spoke with a gentle smile.
"By the way, Ye-seol, are you alright?"
Lee Jae-won looked at Lee Ye-seol, who was now standing on her own, and asked.
".......I'm fine."
"Do you intend to continue?"
Lee Jae-won asked, his eyes now calm and sunken.
"...........No... I don't think I can go on."
Lee Ye-seol shook her head. She couldn't do any more. She could feel her internal organs twisting from the injury.
"A wise decision. Knowing when to retreat is also a necessary quality for a martial artist."
Lee Jae-won spoke with a satisfied expression.
"You have achieved great things. You've worked hard."
He spoke with a broad smile.
".........Thank you."
Lee Ye-seol replied to his praise with a lukewarm expression. Through her mothers and Sun-woo, she had learned the hideous truth about Lee Jae-won. Being praised by such a disgusting man didn't give her even the slightest bit of joy.
"..........."
Lee Jae-won felt a wave of awkwardness at her cold reaction. It was the exact opposite of what he had expected. He had imagined his daughter being moved to tears by his praise. What was with that awkward, sullen face?
'Shit, they say there's no point in raising a daughter, and they're right.'
Lee Jae-won’s brow twitched. He didn't like Lee Ye-seol’s disrespectful reaction to his "holy" praise. She lacked respect. Respect for the World's Greatest Martial Artist, respect for the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, and respect for her father.
"Fine. Go to the Medical Pavilion immediately."
Lee Jae-won spoke, maintaining a composed face.
"...Understood."
Lee Ye-seol bowed her head slightly and slowly walked out of the training ground. Soon, only Sun-woo and Lee Jae-won remained in the arena.
"It seems my next opponent is you."
Lee Jae-won spoke, looking at Sun-woo.
"It appears so, Alliance Leader."
"How about joining up with the others?"
Lee Jae-won asked with a feigned look of concern.
"I don't think that will be necessary."
Sun-woo replied calmly.
"Ho, how interesting. Do you believe you can handle me alone?"
Lee Jae-won wore an amused expression. Sun-woo’s words felt incredibly arrogant to him. Who was he? He was the leader of the Murim's greatest martial organization, the Cheonmu Alliance, and the World's Greatest Martial Artist. To say such bold words to him... how could it be anything but arrogance?
"I apologize if I offended you. I simply felt that the others would only be in the way."
Sun-woo spoke with a stoic face. He was serious. He truly felt that the other supporters would be a hindrance.
"How arrogant."
Lee Jae-won belittled him. He figured it was best to take him down a peg first.
"I am simply confident."
"I am curious to see if your skills match that confidence."
A thin smile touched Lee Jae-won’s lips.
Step. Step.
He began to walk toward Sun-woo with immense leisure. It was a complete contrast to when he had stood still, waiting for attacks.
Step. Step.
After walking a short distance, he stopped right in front of Sun-woo. He met Sun-woo’s straight, unwavering gaze.
'What an unpleasant gaze.'
He thought to himself. It was a gaze as clear and pure as a speckless mirror, but for some reason, it made him feel disgusted. He hated looking at it. He wanted to wipe that look off the boy's face immediately.
Swish.
Lee Jae-won swung his hand lightly. It looked no different from the casual attacks he had used against the other rising stars.
Whirrrrrrrr!
But from that light gesture, a massive whirlwind began to erupt. The gale surged toward Sun-woo.
'I'll make sure you can't open those eyes properly for a while.'
Lee Jae-won wore a playful smirk. He was certain the boy would be helpless against it.
Spin!
Boom!
In that moment, something unexpected happened. Lee Jae-won, who had swung his hand so casually, suddenly spun uncontrollably and was slammed face-first into the ground. It happened in the blink of an eye.
'......Huh?'
For a moment, Lee Jae-won was so bewildered that he looked up with a stupid expression. There, standing tall and majestic, was the man.
It was Jang Sun-woo.
Sun-woo looked down at Lee Jae-won rolling on the ground with a composed face. And Lee Jae-won just stared up at him with a blank, idiotic look, unable to comprehend what had just happened.