Chapter 613: You Made the Decision, So You Take the Responsibility.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 613: You Made the Decision, So You Take the Responsibility.
"Wha... What did you say?!"
Upon hearing Sun-woo’s words, Lee Dae-gon’s face turned beet red as he glared at him and roared.
"Do you have no respect for your seniors?!"
He raised his voice, shouting as if to scold him. His anger at Sun-woo’s insolent behavior had reached its boiling point.
"Am I wrong?" Sun-woo asked back, his expression perfectly calm.
"You are! I’m saying you’re wrong! I am not masking my selfishness as a greater cause!" Lee Dae-gon denied it stubbornly.
"That’s strange. To my ears, that’s exactly what it sounded like," Sun-woo continued in a composed tone. "Did you not just threaten me, saying that if I don’t participate, the world will fall into Demonic Hegemony? Is that not a 'greater cause' used to wrap up your own selfishness?"
Sun-woo’s eyes were sharp as he stared Lee Dae-gon down.
"......I admit I may have exaggerated! But it wasn't... entirely a lie!" Lee Dae-gon replied, his voice still thick with anger. "Are you not the current World's Greatest Martial Artist? I believe your presence or absence will have a massive impact on the victory or defeat of this war."
"My influence is not a reason for me to join the war, Hall Master," Sun-woo replied, his tone cold and final, as if drawing a line in the sand.
"If you don't join, countless members of the Alliance will die! Do you intend to just let that happen?!"
Lee Dae-gon brought up a provocative subject and let it explode. He was essentially taking the lives of the Alliance members hostage.
"Are you threatening me?" Sun-woo asked, looking at him with icy eyes.
"It’s not a threat, it’s a fact! Without you, even more people will perish!"
Lee Dae-gon met his gaze with absolute seriousness. It wasn't a threat to him; it was the truth. Depending on whether Jang Sun-woo, who had reached the Profound Realm, participated or not, the number of casualties would inevitably change.
Jang Sun-woo was essentially a human siege engine—a powerful weapon necessary to bring down the massive fortress known as the Demonic Cult. If this siege engine was missing, the sacrifices would be immense, as the Alliance members would have to throw themselves into the breach to fill the void.
"So, are you telling me I should sacrifice myself to save hundreds or thousands of lives?" Sun-woo asked with a sarcastic twist to his expression.
"Sacrifice? Don't be absurd!" Lee Dae-gon immediately denied it. "I am merely asking for a bit of mercy! Are you not the World's Greatest Martial Artist? No matter how much of a den of demons the Demonic Cult is, who could possibly pose a threat to you?"
Lee Dae-gon spat out the words as if making an excuse.
"Nothing in this world is absolute, Hall Master," Sun-woo said, glaring at him with a chilling gaze. "There could be any number of people who pose a threat to me."
Sun-woo had officially become the World's Greatest Martial Artist after severing Lee Jae-won’s arm, but he was not arrogant. Though he had achieved the Ethereal Body, reached the Profound Realm, and established the Sword of the Mind, there were still three beings he could not guarantee victory against.
Even with all his power, he still couldn't gauge them. He didn't know if he could win. That was why he had to be cautious. In the Demonic Cult, there lurked a presence he could not be certain of defeating.
"No, who on earth could possibly be a threat to you?!" Lee Dae-gon shouted, his brow furrowed deeply.
He truly couldn't understand. Just a few days ago, Jang Sun-woo had cut off the arm of the previous World's Greatest Martial Artist, Lee Jae-won, and made a name for himself as the new number one. What could such a man possibly fear to make him utter such cowardly words?
"A long time ago, my master told me something," Sun-woo began in a calm voice. "He said that at the peak of that massive mountain, the Hundred Thousand Mountains, lives the King of Demons. And he said that the King of Demons is an incomprehensible being whom one must never encounter."
Sun-woo slowly recounted the story he had heard from the Yin-Yang Demon.
"........Are you talking about the Heavenly Demon?" Lee Dae-gon asked back, his expression turning grave.
"That’s right," Sun-woo nodded in affirmation.
Even after reaching the Profound Realm, achieving the Ethereal Body, and establishing the Sword of the Mind, this was a being he could not guarantee victory over. The one who lived at the peak of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, called the King of all Demons. An incomprehensible existence that defied the logic of the world.
It was the Heavenly Demon.
"That is a needless worry! That man met a miserable end at the hands of the Alliance Leader—so miserable that not even his corpse remained! How could such a man still be in the Demonic Cult?" Lee Dae-gon argued.
"The Poison Demon, who invaded the Tang Clan before, told me. He said the Heavenly Demon has been resurrected."
"That must be a lie! How can someone who was reduced to nothing but blood be resurrected? It defies all logic!" Lee Dae-gon spoke as if it were impossible.
He truly believed it was nonsense. When Lee Jae-won and the Heavenly Demon fought their decisive battle, Lee Dae-gon had witnessed it from right in front of them. From start to finish. Therefore, he could say for certain: the Heavenly Demon was dead. He had died at Lee Jae-won’s hands, his entire body crushed as if flattened. How could such a man return to life? It was impossible.
"Whether it’s a lie or not, as long as there are rumors of his resurrection, participating in the Great War of Righteousness and Demons means putting my life on the line," Sun-woo said calmly. "And yet, you’re asking me to join a life-threatening war out of 'mercy'? Do you think that makes any sense?"
"The Heavenly Demon was defeated by the Alliance Leader in the past! Even if he has been resurrected, there’s no way you, who cut off the Alliance Leader’s arm, would lose!" Lee Dae-gon argued passionately, trying to persuade Sun-woo.
"Is that not also uncertain?"
"What?!"
"The Heavenly Demon is an incomprehensible existence. What if he was resurrected and became even stronger? What will you do if he has become a far more powerful being than he was twenty years ago?"
".....That... that can't be...!"
"Can you take responsibility for those words?" Sun-woo asked, glaring at him with sharp eyes.
"Of course!" Lee Dae-gon replied with a confident expression.
"How do you plan to take responsibility?"
"Wha... what?"
"If he is a powerhouse incomparable to his past self... if he is a powerhouse I am helpless against... what will you do then?" Sun-woo asked, looking curious.
If the enemy was so strong that even Sun-woo was helpless, there was no way someone like Lee Dae-gon could do anything. He wouldn't even be able to buy time, let alone fight. So Sun-woo was genuinely curious about how he intended to take responsibility.
"That... that is..."
Lee Dae-gon couldn't answer readily. There was no way he could take responsibility. Someone like him couldn't possibly handle an opponent stronger than the Jang Sun-woo standing before him.
"Why are you silent?" Sun-woo threw the mischievous question again.
"............"
Despite the question, Lee Dae-gon remained speechless.
"Hall Master."
Sun-woo called out to him, looking at him with pity.
"You cannot take responsibility for anything."
He criticized Lee Dae-gon scathingly.
"So do not throw around words like 'responsibility' so carelessly."
".............."
Even at Sun-woo’s biting words, Lee Dae-gon could offer no rebuttal. It was true that he had recklessly babbled about things he couldn't back up.
"I have no intention of sacrificing myself for anyone, nor do I intend to live for others or contribute to the peace of the Murim. I only plan to look after myself and my loved ones. So please, do not concern yourselves with me."
"How... how can we not concern ourselves with you...?" Lee Dae-gon finally managed to speak. "Your mere existence changes the outcome of the Great War! How can we not care?!"
Lee Dae-gon roared. He hated this too—the sight of himself bowing and trying to persuade a junior much younger than him. But he had no choice. The results would be vastly different depending on whether Jang Sun-woo was there or not.
"Then just 'care' all you want. Don't try to persuade me to join with nonsensical logic when there’s no justification for it. It’s unpleasant and disgusting."
Sun-woo spoke with a cold, ruthless expression. His tone was laced with irritation.
"................"
Lee Dae-gon could say nothing more. He felt that clinging any further would only double his misery.
"The Alliance's strength has been weakened because of you!"
At that moment, Cha Do-jin, the Gyebang Hall Master who had been listening silently, raised his voice.
"What do you mean by that? I weakened your strength?" Sun-woo asked, looking puzzled.
"Did you not sever the Alliance Leader’s arm? It is an undeniable fact that the Alliance's power has been weakened because of that!" Cha Do-jin glared at Sun-woo with eyes full of defiance.
"Why are you blaming me for that? Was it not the Cheonmu Alliance Leader’s own fault that his arm was cut?"
"Whatever the reason, a public cause has been damaged because of a private grudge!"
"Don't try to shift the blame with such nonsense," Sun-woo said, glaring at the Gyebang Hall Master with icy eyes. "If the strength was so weakened that victory couldn't be guaranteed, you shouldn't have declared the Great War of Righteousness and Demons. You declared it on your own, and now you’re telling me to take responsibility? What kind of nonsense is that?"
Sun-woo’s voice was thick with annoyance. He had never agreed to this war in the first place. Why should he follow a decision made solely by the leadership, where his opinion wasn't reflected at all? It was preposterous.
"The Great War is a holy war! It was an unavoidable choice for the safety and peace of the Murim!" the Gyebang Hall Master shouted, flaring up.
"I never agreed to the Great War. Therefore, I have no obligation to take responsibility for it," Sun-woo countered calmly. "Furthermore, I am not even a member of the Cheonmu Alliance. I don't pay annual dues, nor do I receive a monthly salary from the Alliance. There is no justification for you to force me to participate. How can the Cheonmu Alliance, which has done nothing for me, demand that I fulfill an obligation?"
Sun-woo thought the entire situation—the leadership coming to him and demanding his participation—was utterly ridiculous. They had no right to compel him. They didn't pay him, and they weren't on good terms. In fact, it wouldn't be strange to call them enemies. They were accomplices who had stood by when Lee Jae-won framed him.
And yet, here they were, trying to force him to join using pathetic excuses like chivalry and mercy. How could he not find it laughable?
"If you are adults, shouldn't you know how to take responsibility for the decisions you make? You made the decision, so you take the responsibility. Stop coming to me and whining for help."
Sun-woo continued with a cold expression.
"Do you intend to just watch as thousands of people die?! You, who are supposed to be a pillar of the Orthodox Faction!"
"You are the ones who made the decision that might lead to thousands of deaths. Why are you blaming me?" Sun-woo said dismissively.
They made the decision. There was no reason for him to be criticized just because he didn't follow it.
"And if you’re so worried, then call off the Great War. Wouldn't that solve it?"
"We can't do that! The die is already cast! If we did that, not only would the Alliance's honor hit rock bottom, but everyone in the Central Plains would laugh at and mock the Cheonmu Alliance!"
The Gyebang Hall Master roared at Sun-woo’s suggestion, looking as if it were unthinkable. They had already announced the Great War to the entire Murim. How could they take it back now? It was impossible. If they went back on their word like that, the Alliance's credibility and honor would be ruined.
"What does that matter?" Sun-woo asked, looking genuinely confused. "What does it matter if you’re laughed at and mocked? As a result, thousands of people could live."
"What! Are you telling us to drag the Alliance's honor through the mud?!"
"Let me ask you instead. Do you intend to let thousands die for the sake of the Alliance's honor?"
"Wha... what kind of...!"
"If you just call off the Great War, thousands will live. But you’re pushing ahead because you’re afraid of losing honor? How is that any different from killing those thousands of people yourself?"
Sun-woo stared at the Gyebang Hall Master with cold eyes.
"............."
The Gyebang Hall Master was speechless. He couldn't think of a single rebuttal.
'Damn it.'
He felt a deep sense of regret. He realized he had misspoken. He shouldn't have brought up the Alliance's honor here. He should have brought up the Shandong Blood Massacre and emphasized hostility toward the Demonic Cult. With one wrong word, the only justification he had to draw Sun-woo in—the concept of chivalry—had vanished.
If even the Alliance wouldn't call off a war that might kill thousands just to save its own honor, how could they force him to join in the name of chivalry?
"If you want to save thousands of people, then act yourselves. Don't come running to me with your emotional manipulation."
Sun-woo looked around at the leadership, his voice as cold as the Bitter Cold Northern Wind. Immediately, a bone-chilling frost began to fill the room.