Chapter 610: The Fabrication
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 610: The Fabrication
"Alliance Leader! This! We cannot simply leave things like this!"
"We must go to him at once! How could he utter such nonsense?!"
"The Great War of Righteousness and Demons is a holy war to protect the peace and well-being of the Murim! How can he dare to say he won't participate in such a crusade?!"
"If there is no chivalry, how is he any different from the Evil and Heretical Sects?"
The meeting room was in an absolute uproar.
It was because Heo Sam-gwan had just proven that Lee Jae-won’s claims were true.
They were furious.
Furious at Jang Sun-woo for failing to act with chivalry.
Furious at Jang Sun-woo for failing to fulfill his duties as the World’s Greatest Martial Artist.
It was a fundamental law that great power naturally came with great responsibility.
How could someone possess the immense power of the World’s Greatest Martial Artist and refuse to exercise it?
It was an intolerable situation.
Scrape—
Suddenly, Lee Dae-gon stood up from his seat.
"I am going to Jang Sun-woo right now. I will teach him what it means to fulfill one's duty as a human being! I will show him the chivalry that a martial artist of the Orthodox Faction must uphold!"
Lee Dae-gon continued, his eyes blazing with fury.
"I shall go as well!"
"I’m going to see Jang Sun-woo!"
Following his lead, several other high-ranking members began to rise from their seats.
It seemed their indignation toward Jang Sun-woo’s selfish attitude had reached its breaking point.
"It will be useless even if you go."
Lee Jae-won, who had been watching the scene unfold, spoke in a calm tone to dissuade them.
"His mind is already made up."
Lee Jae-won continued, his expression thick with regret.
"But we cannot just sit idly by!"
Lee Dae-gon shouted, his anger still far from cooled.
"And what exactly do you plan to do?"
Lee Jae-won asked, looking at Lee Dae-gon with a steady gaze.
"I intend to find him and give him a stern scolding! For a supposed pillar of the Orthodox Faction to say such things, he must have become arrogant just because he’s young and strong! As a senior of the Murim, I plan to reprimand that insolent brat and give him a proper lesson in character!"
Lee Dae-gon raised his voice, venting his righteous indignation.
"He won't listen."
Lee Jae-won shook his head slowly.
"Are you saying that without even trying?"
Lee Dae-gon asked Lee Jae-won, looking utterly bewildered.
With the Great War of Righteousness and Demons looming, a powerhouse like Jang Sun-woo was an indispensable asset.
Regardless of his personality, the fact remained that he was the strongest—the one who had claimed the title of the World’s Greatest Martial Artist.
How could they give up on him so easily?
It was incomprehensible.
"…Sigh."
Hearing Lee Dae-gon’s words, Lee Jae-won let out a long sigh.
It was a sigh that seemed to carry a weight of complex emotions.
"It’s not that I haven't tried."
Lee Jae-won continued, his face clouded with sorrow.
"What do you mean by that, Alliance Leader?"
Lee Dae-gon asked, looking puzzled.
Not that he hasn't tried?
Did that mean the Alliance Leader had personally gone to persuade Jang Sun-woo?
"Actually… I visited Jang Sun-woo last night."
Lee Jae-won continued in a somber tone.
"And I offered him a sincere apology. An apology for using a lethal move in the heat of the moment."
"What? Alliance Leader, why would you apologize to him?!"
Lee Dae-gon asked back, stunned.
The idea that Lee Jae-won would go to apologize to the very man who had severed his arm was shocking.
How could he apologize to someone who was essentially his mortal enemy?
"Is the Great War of Righteousness and Demons not right before us? I did not want to ruin our great cause over a personal grudge. That is why I offered a sincere apology, hoping to resolve our past enmity… However…"
Lee Jae-won trailed off, looking pained.
"However? Did something happen?"
"He rejected my apology."
"What?!"
Lee Dae-gon flared up at those words.
Who was Lee Jae-won?
Even if his arm had been severed and he had surrendered the title of the World’s Greatest Martial Artist, he was still a Great Hero respected throughout the Murim.
Furthermore, as the disciple of the ancient master Seon-ong, his seniority was so high that almost no one in the Murim could treat him lightly.
On top of that, was he not the Leader of the Cheonmu Alliance, the greatest martial organization dedicated to the realization of justice?
Status, seniority, reputation.
He was a mountain of a man who lacked nothing.
And yet, how could someone refuse an apology from such a man?
How could he ignore the hand extended in peace, especially when the Alliance Leader was willing to overlook the loss of his own arm?
It was absurd.
"Apologizing was useless… He only spat his anger back at me."
Lee Jae-won continued, his expression full of regret.
"For the sake of the greater good… I pleaded with him to forget the past, but it was no use. He told me… that he didn't care whether the Great War of Righteousness and Demons happened or not."
Of course, it was a lie.
Jang Sun-woo hadn't uttered a single word about the Great War in the first place.
But Lee Jae-won didn't care.
Public opinion was already leaning in his favor.
No matter what he said, the leadership would have no choice but to believe him.
Whether it was the truth or not didn't matter.
"How could he!"
Lee Dae-gon roared in fury.
He had just heard words so foul they couldn't possibly come from a chivalrous warrior of the Orthodox Faction.
How could a martial artist who inherited an orthodox technique say something so vile?
"After speaking with him, I realized something. He is no hero of justice… He is nothing more than a common thug who happens to be strong. There is no conviction behind that immense power."
Lee Jae-won scanned the room with a sorrowful gaze.
"I cannot help but feel a profound sadness. To think that he lives only for his own desires, when that great power could be used for something so much more meaningful… Great power should come with great responsibility… but it seems he lacks even a shred of that sense of duty."
Lee Jae-won spoke with a heavy, somber expression.
"So, it will be useless even if you rush to him now… He… is beyond redemption."
"But Alliance Leader, we cannot just let Jang Sun-woo go! Without him, the Great War will be at a severe disadvantage!"
"He’s right! Didn't we plan for the Great War assuming he would be there? If he suddenly vanishes, hundreds, thousands of our alliance members will lose their lives in vain!"
"…But what can we do? We have no way to force him…"
Lee Jae-won spoke with a dejected voice.
He, too, seemed to be grieving over the fact that Jang Sun-woo would not participate.
"This is unreasonable!"
At that moment, Cha Do-jin, the Master of Gyebang Hall who had been silent, raised his voice and shouted.
Anyone could see he was brimming with rage.
"He must take responsibility!"
"What kind of responsibility are you suggesting we impose?"
Lee Jae-won asked, acting as if he didn't understand.
"Did he not sever the Alliance Leader’s arm and weaken the Cheonmu Alliance’s military strength? How can you say he has no responsibility?!"
"He’s right!"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
"We must hold him accountable!"
The leaders began spewing sophistry, trying to shift the blame onto him by any means necessary.
Everyone knew it was nonsense, but no one spoke up to challenge it.
That was how desperate and cornered they felt.
Except for Heo Sam-gwan, most of the leadership had supported the Great War of Righteousness and Demons.
And the decisive factor in that support had been Jang Sun-woo.
They believed that if the man who had severed Lee Jae-won’s arm participated, they could easily overcome the Demonic Cult.
But now he was refusing to join?
They were in trouble.
If he didn't participate, even the outcome of the war against the Demonic Cult became uncertain.
Their greatest asset, the immense power of Lee Jae-won, had been halved.
Because his arm had been cut off.
That was why they were so desperate.
They were willing to resort to any logic, no matter how flawed, to drag Jang Sun-woo into the conflict.
Look at these idiots making a scene.
Lee Jae-won watched the leaders with amusement.
Seeing them act so pathetic in their attempt to drag Jang Sun-woo along made him want to laugh out loud.
"He will not try to take responsibility."
Lee Jae-won continued calmly, hiding his inner thoughts.
"He is nothing more than a child with not a speck of responsibility. So, do not exhaust yourselves. No matter what you do, it will all be in vain."
"We can't have that!"
Lee Dae-gon roared at the top of his lungs.
"We can't… we can't… just leave it like this! Without him, hundreds, thousands of martial artists will die! People who don't have to die will all perish!"
Lee Dae-gon looked at Lee Jae-won with eyes burning with intensity.
He couldn't let this go.
The lives of countless people depended on the existence of Jang Sun-woo.
There is a term, Matchless Warrior.
It refers to a single horseman who can take on a thousand enemies.
It is an expression often used to describe someone who has reached the pinnacle of strength.
Jang Sun-woo was a Matchless Warrior.
He possessed a presence and strength immense enough to face a thousand martial artists alone.
Without him, it was certain that many would die or be injured.
Conversely, if he were there, many lives could be saved.
Jang Sun-woo was that kind of existence.
A great being who could save or kill people just by existing.
How could they let such a man go so easily?
It was impossible.
They had to do something.
They had to take measures to drag him into the Great War, no matter what.
"…Hwalbindang Master."
Lee Jae-won looked at Lee Dae-gon with a sympathetic gaze.
He wore an expression that suggested he fully understood the man's feelings.
"Even if the Alliance Leader tries to stop me, I am going to him. I will go and tell him myself what justice is! What chivalry is! I will set him straight!"
Lee Dae-gon immediately began walking toward the exit of the meeting room.
"H-Hey… wait… just a moment…"
Lee Jae-won spoke with a flustered expression.
Scrape—
"I’m going too! We can't leave it like this!"
Cha Do-jin, the Master of Gyebang Hall, also stood up and began to follow Lee Dae-gon.
"I’m going as well!"
"I shall follow too!"
One after another, numerous executives stood up and began to file out of the room.
It happened so quickly there was no time to stop them.
Soon, no one was left in the meeting room except for Lee Jae-won and Heo Sam-gwan, the Master of Palbok Hall.
"…This is a problem."
Lee Jae-won spoke with a troubled expression.
In reality, however, he felt like rolling on the floor with laughter.
"Alliance Leader."
At that moment, Heo Sam-gwan, who had been silent, called out to Lee Jae-won.
"What is it?"
Lee Jae-won asked, sounding curious.
"You didn't seem to try very hard to stop them."
Heo Sam-gwan spoke in an incredibly calm tone.
Flinch.
Lee Jae-won felt a sharp pang in his chest at those words.
It was just as he said; he hadn't been very proactive in stopping those who were leaving.
He had only done so out of formality.
"Didn't you see? They vanished before I even had a chance to stop them."
Lee Jae-won glanced toward the door as he spoke.
"How amusing."
Hearing that, Heo Sam-gwan let out a short, dry chuckle.
"What’s so amusing?"
"For an Alliance Leader who slams people into walls for not listening to say he couldn't stop them just because they walked away quickly… how could I not find that amusing?"
Heo Sam-gwan continued, looking entertained.
"To me, it looked like you were just going through the motions. As if you didn't care whether they went or not."
"I didn't take the Palbok Hall Master for someone with such a vivid imagination."
"I only spoke of what I saw."
"Rather than what you saw, it seems your idle chatter is getting a bit long."
Lee Jae-won glared at Heo Sam-gwan with a sharp gaze.
"It’s not idle chatter; it’s objective fact, Alliance Leader."
Heo Sam-gwan stared back at Lee Jae-won with an equally intense gaze, refusing to back down.
The two engaged in a silent battle of wills for a moment.
After a while…
Scrape—
Heo Sam-gwan stood up from his seat.
"Do you intend to go to Jang Sun-woo as well?"
Seeing this, Lee Jae-won asked with a curious expression.
"I intend to go home."
Heo Sam-gwan replied in a flat tone.
"You have surprisingly little loyalty. Everyone else has gone to confront him."
Lee Jae-won let out a mocking laugh.
"There are things worth confronting and things that aren't. I’m not the type to cling to a lost cause."
"Are you saying persuading Jang Sun-woo is a lost cause?"
"There’s no justification for it in the first place."
"No justification?"
Lee Jae-won asked back, sounding puzzled.
"What has the Cheonmu Alliance ever done for him that would make him want to fight?"
At Lee Jae-won’s question, Heo Sam-gwan spoke with an incredulous expression.
"Especially for someone who isn't even a member of the Cheonmu Alliance."