Chapter 749: Social Annihilation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 749: Social Annihilation
"It has been a long time, Master."
Jang Sam spoke with a bright smile on his face.
Facing him, Lee Jae-won wore a dazed expression. He was utterly bewildered by the appearance of someone he had never expected to see.
How could Jang Sam show his face here?
Jang Sam, the Public Enemy of the Murim.
Lee Jae-won felt a throbbing headache coming on. As time passed, instead of his thoughts clearing, his confusion only intensified.
"You... You... Why are you... here...?"
Lee Jae-won finally managed to speak, his voice trembling.
"Is there somewhere I’m not allowed to go? Is this not my home and my birthplace?"
Jang Sam continued, his expression incredibly relaxed. He spoke as if he were merely exercising a natural right.
"Jang Sam!?"
"Isn't Jang Sam the expelled disciple of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader?"
"That's right! That's the degenerate Jang Sam, the one declared a Public Enemy of the Murim!"
"Wait, why is he here!?"
The crowd began to panic at Jang Sam's appearance. His arrival was something none of them had anticipated.
This is my chance!
Seeing the reaction, Lee Jae-won thought to himself. This was an unexpected opportunity to flip public opinion back in his favor.
Jang Sam was a Public Enemy of the Murim—the perpetrator of a horrific serial rape and murder case. And now, this man was protecting Joo So-yang and Paeng Ga-ryeon?
If he played this right, he could pin all the blame on Jang Sam. He could turn the tide of public opinion once again.
"Aha! So this was all your scheme!"
Lee Jae-won shouted, putting on an expression of sudden realization.
"Not only did you commit those hideous crimes, but you also subverted my wife and my subordinates to slander me, the Cheonmu Alliance Leader! You truly intend to commit the ultimate act of filial impiety!"
Lee Jae-won began to explain in a somewhat exaggerated tone. He infused his voice with Internal Energy so that every member of the crowd could hear him clearly.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Hearing those words, Jang Sam burst into loud laughter. It was a sound of genuine amusement.
"Why are you laughing!?"
Offended by the laughter, Lee Jae-won scowled and bellowed. He had shouted his rebuke with the utmost gravity; how dare this boy laugh so flippantly?
"I'm sorry... Haha... It's just... watching you struggle so desperately to fix this... is just too funny... Hahahaha!"
Jang Sam continued to chuckle as he spoke.
"Wh-What!?"
Lee Jae-won’s voice rose. He was fuming at Jang Sam’s blatantly mocking tone.
"And isn't the hideous one actually you, Master?"
"Don't be ridiculous! There is no way that I, a man more honorable than anyone, could be hideous!"
"Master, can you not see the head rolling at your feet?"
Jang Sam pointed downward with a flick of his chin. Lee Jae-won followed his gaze.
There, he saw it.
The head of the hall master he had decapitated in a fit of rage.
"It’s truly hilarious that you believe you can clean up after killing someone so recklessly. It’s like watching a low-witted beast."
Jang Sam’s voice was dripping with sarcasm.
Grind.
Lee Jae-won’s face turned bright red, and he began to grind his teeth. A wave of immense humiliation washed over him.
He felt utterly shamed. To be mocked by a disciple who was so much younger than him...
And then came the rage. This pathetic wretch, who would have lost his life if not for him, was now repaying his grace with such treachery.
I'll kill him... I'll kill him over and over again!
A murderous light began to flicker in Lee Jae-won’s eyes. If he didn't kill this bastard right now, he felt like he would die of Hwabyung.
Whoosh!
A murderous aura began to swirl around Lee Jae-won. That intent soon manifested into hundreds, then thousands of swords floating in the air. He had transformed his will into blades.
"I will kill you!"
Lee Jae-won roared, glaring at Jang Sam. Immediately, the thousands of swords hovering in the air shifted their direction.
They pointed directly at where Jang Sam stood. Then, they surged forward like a flying dragon.
It’s no different from before.
Jang Sam watched the spectacle with an indifferent expression. There was no fear, no tension, and no competitive spirit on his face.
Because it wasn't a threat, he wasn't afraid. Because he wasn't afraid, he wasn't tense. And because he wasn't tense, he didn't even feel a spark of competitive spirit.
He simply raised his sword lightly.
Killing intent against killing intent.
Jang Sam began to concentrate his will. Soon, his blade began to be dyed in an ink-colored hue. Furthermore, an immense murderous aura flickered along the pitch-black, ink-colored sword, asserting its overwhelming presence.
The Killing Sword.
The Killing Sword, perfectly controlled through the Killing Method, had revealed itself.
Swish!
Jang Sam swung his sword. A massive wave of killing intent erupted, colliding head-on with the pouring rain of Formless Swords.
Rumble!
A tremendous shockwave rippled out in all directions, and the entire area began to shake incessantly, as if an earthquake had struck.
"D-Damn it... What is this!?"
"Ugh... H-Help me!"
"Argh... What on earth is happening!?"
Groans of pain erupted from the crowd as the shockwave slammed into them.
After the impact subsided, Lee Jae-won’s Formless Swords began to vanish without a trace, as if their life force had been extinguished.
N-No way!?
Lee Jae-won was struck with horror. The sight of the Formless Swords vanishing was all too familiar.
He had seen this before—swords manifested from will disappearing as if they had reached the end of their life.
It was during his fight with the Sword God, Jang Sun-woo. At that time, Jang Sun-woo had manifested an ink-colored Heart Sword and neutralized his blades in the exact same way.
He couldn't help but be shocked. How could Jang Sam use the same sword as Jang Sun-woo?
"You... How... How can you use that sword!?"
Lee Jae-won stammered.
"You're slow. I used it when I blocked your first sword, too."
Jang Sam replied with a thick smile on his lips.
Crack, crack, crack.
Suddenly, Jang Sam’s body began to twist grotesquely, and visible changes started to occur.
The first thing to change was his skeletal structure. His frame grew thicker, his muscles expanded, and his overall physique became much broader. The slender build characteristic of Jang Sam was nowhere to be found.
Next was his face. His sharp, narrow jawline, which had once been so delicate it triggered a protective instinct, began to broaden. His gentle eyes transformed into the sharp, piercing gaze of a predator.
After the transformation was complete, a completely different man stood where Jang Sam had been.
"You... You are!?"
Lee Jae-won screamed in horror. The man he feared seeing even in his dreams had appeared before him.
The man who had severed his arm. The martial artist who had claimed the title of the World's Greatest Martial Artist. The person responsible for dragging his authority as the Cheonmu Alliance Leader through the dirt.
"It’s good to see you again, isn't it?"
It was the Sword God, Jang Sun-woo.
Lee Jae-won’s complexion turned a sickly, dark shade.
*
"H-How are you here!?"
Lee Jae-won asked, his voice trembling.
"It’s exactly what it looks like. I am Jang Sam, and I am Jang Sun-woo."
Sun-woo replied with an indifferent expression.
"......Jang Sam was you?"
"That's right. I am Jang Sam. The expelled disciple you personally framed and turned into a Public Enemy of the Murim."
Sun-woo’s eyes flashed with a cold light. Meeting that gaze, Lee Jae-won instinctively lowered his eyes. The moment their eyes met, an uncontrollable, primal terror surged within him.
Throb. Throb.
The stump of his left arm began to throb—the arm that had been severed by this vicious monster. Through that agonizing pain, Lee Jae-won realized that everything happening before him was reality.
Grind.
But he gritted his teeth. Despite his fear, he felt he could not afford to surrender.
"That's nonsense!"
Lee Jae-won roared desperately. He infused his voice with Internal Energy, making it thunder throughout the grounds.
"Framed!? You were declared a Public Enemy of the Murim because you brutally raped and murdered countless women! How dare you claim to be innocent!?"
"You pathetic piece of shit."
Sun-woo spat out a curse, his face full of derision. He couldn't help but sneer at Lee Jae-won’s desperate struggle to the very end.
"Do you think I’d claim I was framed without any evidence?"
Sun-woo looked Lee Jae-won straight in the eye as he spoke.
"W-What!?"
Lee Jae-won looked flustered. Sun-woo’s confident attitude filled him with a sense of dread.
Flutter, flutter.
At that moment, countless booklets were scattered into the air. They began to rain down upon the crowd.
"What is this!?"
"What... what's happening?"
"Someone is throwing books!"
"Who is it!? Who's doing this!?"
The people expressed their confusion, bewildered by the sudden appearance of the booklets.
"You... what have you done?"
Lee Jae-won glared at Sun-woo with eyes full of anxiety.
"It’s evidence," Sun-woo replied calmly. "Evidence that the crimes pinned on me were a frame-up."
Sun-woo’s cold eyes began to glint.
"Evidence!? That’s impossible!"
Lee Jae-won denied it vehemently. Jang Sam was a perfectly crafted culprit. Every piece of evidence had been fabricated. There was no way any proof of Jang Sam’s innocence could remain.
"Check for yourself whether it's possible or not."
Sun-woo pulled a booklet from his robe. It was the original he had received from the Hao Clan Head.
Whish!
Sun-woo threw the booklet toward Lee Jae-won. Infused with Internal Energy, the booklet flew straight and true, maintaining its shape.
Grab.
Lee Jae-won caught the booklet just before it hit his face. He began to read it frantically, driven by an insane surge of anxiety.
[July 7th. Another body was discovered in the brothels today. A woman’s corpse, her neck twisted, limbs broken grotesquely, and her genitals horribly mutilated. The crime was judged to be the work of the same culprit as before. My pride is wounded. To think that the Hao Clan, which is called the 'Heavenly Ear' for having ears in the sky and the 'Earthly Eye' for having eyes on the ground, cannot find the culprit. I must find the perpetrator at all costs. For the sake of the Hao Clan’s lost honor.
------------(Omitted)-------------
July 9th.
I managed to determine the estimated time of death. From now on, I plan to identify the culprit based on this timeframe. It will take time, but I do not care. This is a matter of the Hao Clan’s honor. I intend to verify the alibis of everyone in Jinan, one by one.
----------(Omitted)--------------
July 15th.
It is very strange. I was able to verify the alibis of the vast majority of people. No one was at the scene at the estimated time of death. What... went wrong? What could the problem be?
----------(Omitted)-------------
July 17th.
I realized what I had overlooked. I had completely forgotten to investigate the high-ranking officials of the Cheonmu Alliance. I am certain now. The culprit exists among the high-ranking members of the Cheonmu Alliance. A smile touched my lips. My heart raced at the thought of approaching a shocking, massive truth. I, the Hao Clan Head, am the only one who knows the truth that no one else does. The truth of this case will elevate the reputation of the Hao Clan.
-----------(Omitted)------------
July 20th.
I began investigating the high-ranking officials in order of rank, starting from the bottom. The Hwalbindang Master, the Palbok Hall Master, the Black Tortoise Hall Master, the White Tiger Hall Master, the Phoenix Hall Master, the Blue Dragon Hall Master... many high-ranking figures. And the more I investigated, the more my fear grew. The scope of the investigation expanded into the territory of those who wield absolute power even among the elite. It seems the culprit is someone very close to the Alliance Leader.
----------(Omitted)-------------
July 28th.
I have completed all investigations into the high-ranking officials. I was able to prove the alibis of everyone except for one person. The culprit is undoubtedly the one who could not provide an alibi. However, I do not dare to make this public. Fear precedes me. I am terrified of the immense power he holds and the formidable martial arts he possesses. For he is the man with the highest authority in the world and the strongest martial artist.
---------(Omitted)---------------
November 7th.
Another rape-murder occurred. The method was very similar to the previous ones. Just in case, I cross-referenced the estimated time of death with that man’s movements. And I am now certain. He has committed another crime. I am terrified. To think that the great hero of the Murim, who is more honorable than anyone, is actually a hideous monster wearing a mask of hypocrisy.]
The booklet was a journal—a record of the investigation into the serial rape and murder cases written by the former Hao Clan Head. The journal detailed the investigation process in minute detail.
And at the end, it pointed to a single culprit.
The powerful man who possessed the world's greatest martial arts.
"IT'S ALL A FABRICATION!!!!!!!"
Having finished the booklet, Lee Jae-won screamed like a madman. His face was flushed a deep, angry red.
"A fabrication?" Sun-woo asked back in a calm voice.
"It’s all, every bit of it, a fabrication! You must have created this fake evidence to escape your crimes!"
Lee Jae-won roared, glaring at Sun-woo with eyes dripping with murderous intent.
"It doesn't seem like the others think so."
Sun-woo pointed toward the crowd below the platform with a flick of his chin.
"......Wh-What!?"
Startled, Lee Jae-won followed Sun-woo’s gesture and looked down.
There, he saw them.
The people were glaring at him with eyes filled with contempt, rage, and a profound sense of betrayal.
They had all read it.
The journal of the Hao Clan Head.
Lee Jae-won’s expression began to be stained with utter despair.