WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 178: The Black Flame Dragon Swallowing the Sea of Blood (8)
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“Fuck... That's an Iron Zombie?”
Nam Hwaseong asked, his face blank with shock.
I answered in disbelief.
“Can't you tell just by looking?”
Its joints moved awkwardly, and its skin was as hard as stone.
It was one of the lowest-ranking jiangshi of the demonic path, but these jiangshi had once thrown the world into chaos. Even this one would bring nightmares to martial artists if it entered the world.
There was no mistaking it.
Iron Zombies had killed more martial artists than anything else during the Orthodox-Demonic War.
Nam Hwaseong shouted, his hands trembling.
“You're the strange one for recognizing it at a glance! I-I've never seen one before in my life!”
“Either way, you did well.”
His actions deserved praise.
He had done more than I'd asked.
He must have wanted those Demon-Subduing Talismans badly.
“Good work. As promised, I'll give you five Demon-Subduing Talismans.”
“Damn it... I don't need them!”
What an honest little bastard.
He spent too much time with someone like Cheol Sunjik. No wonder he'd become so devious.
I pulled the taut Flying Dragon Claw even tighter.
The Iron Zombie struggled to break free, then spotted me and charged like mad.
I leaped straight over it, reeled in the Flying Dragon Claw, and flung its body into the air.
Crash! Bang!
The Iron Zombie crashed headfirst into the ground and thrashed wildly.
Scrape. Scrape.
It tore through the dirt and gravel as easily as mud, then charged again with its utterly ridiculous steps.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Iron Zombies had been nightmares for low-ranking martial artists in my previous life.
To me, they had been nightmares themselves.
An Iron Zombie had no reason and felt no pain. Even with arrows lodged in its eyes or its head split by sword qi, it would move without fear, intent only on killing its enemy.
That indifference was what made them nightmares for those who faced them.
“But that's all in my previous life now!”
I shook off my thoughts, used the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps, and charged at the Iron Zombie.
Papapapap!
Faced with footwork that left afterimages in every direction, the Iron Zombie could only helplessly swing its sharp nails at empty air.
I slipped behind it, drew up as much internal energy as I could, and kicked the back of its head.
Thud!
Boom.
The sound of two hard stones colliding rang out as the Iron Zombie's arms sank deep into the ground.
“There's an idiot trying to beat an Iron Zombie to death over there.”
Nam Hwaseong, who had coughed up a mouthful of blood, sneered as though taking revenge. I ignored him.
A sparrow could never understand a great roc's ambition.
Twitch. Twitch.
The Iron Zombie struggled to pull its arms free from the ground.
I stepped on its back, set the Black Dragon Sword against it, and took the stance of someone splitting firewood.
Then the sparrow who was all beak spoke up.
“Idiot! It's said even sword qi can't cut an Iron Zombie's skin!”
He had been trembling and claiming he was about to die just moments ago, yet he sure had plenty to say.
I glared at Nam Hwaseong.
“You're fine now, right? Come help.”
“...Cough, my internal injuries...”
Why were his internal injuries acting up when he'd done nothing?
As Nam Hwaseong said, an Iron Zombie's skin was harder than most steel.
To cut it, one needed a weapon at least as strong as ten-thousand-year cold iron.
“And the Black Dragon Sword I was gifted happens to be made from Vajra Indestructible Iron.”
I wrapped sword force around the Black Dragon Sword.
Nam Hwaseong's eyes flew wide as he coughed.
“Y-you can use sword force?”
You bastard, Nam Hwaseong. You're definitely not hurt anymore, are you?
I focused on the Iron Zombie again and brought my sword down with all my strength.
Clang!
The impact, like striking a massive temple bell, made my grip go numb.
Even though I had drawn up internal energy to protect my hand, the shock still ran through my bones.
My efforts hadn't been in vain. For the first time, the Iron Zombie felt the fear of death and began struggling violently.
Papapapap!
It wildly swung the arms buried in the earth, blasting apart mounds of dirt throughout an area one zhang across.
Boom!
The ground tore open, and dirt buried deep beneath the surface flew in every direction.
I leaped clear of the blast and landed beside Nam Hwaseong. He looked worried as he asked,
“Isn't that thing pissed off?”
“A section of its neck just got cut through. Why wouldn't it be?”
“A-a section of its neck...?”
Instead of answering Nam Hwaseong, I used the Peerless Wanderer Divine Art to evade the Iron Zombie's claws, shot past it, and bound its neck again with the Flying Dragon Claw.
I infused the taut Heavenly Silkworm Thread with internal energy, and it began rapidly contracting.
Soon, the Iron Zombie, which had been struggling to protect its wounded, partially severed neck, shot past me even faster than I could move and slammed into the cliff wall.
Boom!
I immediately poured qi into the Black Dragon Sword and unleashed sword qi without restraint.
This was why I'd forced myself to consume all those spiritual medicines.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tremendous, exhilarating explosions rang out, sending rocks and dirt flying everywhere.
The Iron Zombie I'd hated so thoroughly in my previous life was now as helpless as a moving target. Even as the internal energy in my dantian drained away, a refreshing feeling surged through me.
Rattle.
The Iron Zombie rose from the collapsed heap of rocks like a broken doll.
Its wounds must have widened in the meantime, because its neck had separated by another inch.
Then...
“O-over there...”
Nam Hwaseong pointed in terror.
I shook my head and scoffed at him.
“Do you still not understand? Iron Zombies...”
“No! Those bastards are charging over here, you idiot!”
“...”
The Blood Cult martial artists were running toward us for dear life, perhaps worried that the Iron Zombie would be destroyed.
“Tch. ...I knew that.”
“Don't lie, you fucking bastard! You weren't even paying attention!”
That sparrow was quick to notice things, too.
Ignoring Nam Hwaseong's gaze, I turned around.
“Academy student Ilgak.”
Ilgak, who had been staring blankly in this direction, suddenly came to his senses.
I looked deeply into his eyes.
“You can handle them, can't you?”
Ilgak glanced in the direction I pointed, then nodded.
“...Leave them to me, Benefactor.”
“I told you, I'm not a benefactor.”
Was he objecting because I called him an Academy student instead of a monk?
Whether I voiced my displeasure or not, Ilgak swiftly rose and began cutting down the Blood Cult martial artists.
He might have exhausted all his Vajra Force, but Shaolin Sect was still Shaolin Sect.
He would buy me more than enough time to deal with the Iron Zombie.
‘Then my opponent is...’
Grrrrr.
The Iron Zombie, which had lost all its former indifference, growled like a wounded beast.
Right. After taking this much of a beating, you must be desperate to kill me too.
No longer moving with its distinctive, ridiculous hops, the Iron Zombie shot forward like an arrow and closed the distance at once.
Boom!
I used the Lotus form against the creature flying toward me, diverting its path.
The Iron Zombie shot past me and charged into the solid rocky ground.
Crash!
After crushing the rocks like tofu, it forced its way through the falling boulders and crouched again.
It seemed to have only one clear purpose left: to kill me.
“Yes. I remember clearly how many people your persistence drove to their deaths.”
I remembered the Sojeong Unit members who had fallen because of it, and the comrades we'd needed to sacrifice.
No matter how many times we struck you, no matter how many times we swung our swords, you never died. We cursed you again and again.
We chose who would be sacrificed before you as though it were natural.
We ran from you as though it were natural.
You were the Demonic Cult's most vicious symbol.
“Your indifference makes me even angrier.”
A demonic monster made from humans for the sole purpose of killing humans.
That vile sense of purpose left no room for even a shred of sympathy.
“Come!”
Boom!
The Iron Zombie kicked off the ground and shot forward like an arrow.
At the same time, I launched myself at it.
Kyaaaaah!
I thrust the Black Dragon Sword at the creature as it bared teeth dripping with black blood.
Clang!
The Black Dragon Sword collided with its fangs, producing a metallic ring.
The monster held back the Black Dragon Sword I'd thrust at it with the force of its bite alone.
At the same time, it tried to crush me with its black nails.
Rip! Rip!
Its nails tore through my black martial robe and dug in, but I didn't evade.
The Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Robe beneath my black martial robe, a secret treasure of the Wang Family Estate, would protect me from a jiangshi's nails.
“If you had any reason left, you would've tried to pull this sword out first.”
Power gathered at the tip of the Black Dragon Sword and formed sword qi.
The Black Dragon Sword, glowing with golden sword qi, did not stop there. It began producing sword force.
Creeeeak.
Realizing something was wrong, the Iron Zombie began shaking its head.
“Too late.”
I continued pouring power in, making the sword force larger.
Crunch!
The sword force pierced through its palate and the back of its head, shining with brilliant light.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
Just as it had done to me in my previous life, I pushed it back and kept pushing.
Without giving even an inch, I forced it backward.
The Iron Zombie flailed as it was shoved farther and farther back until it finally crashed into a boulder.
Creeeak.
For some reason, the Iron Zombie's eyes seemed to tremble violently.
“Do you feel the fear of death too?”
Kyaaaaaah!
The Iron Zombie growled like a beast again.
“Yes. That's a relief!”
I drew on the Taeul True Scripture at full power and split the Iron Zombie in half.
Riiip...
A black line ran from its head to its groin, yet it still tried to swing its claws.
Kyao...
Then black blood poured from it like a waterfall as it split into two pieces.
Thud.
It collapsed helplessly to the ground.
The Iron Zombie, cut in half, no longer moved.
Looking at the horrific corpse before me somehow made me think of those Sojeong Unit bastards.
“...Heh. Seeing a horrible monster must've made me think of you horrible bastards.”
A pointless longing bloomed within me.
#
As Moyong Jaehwa helped Ilgak deal with the blood-robed men approaching Jin Sowoon, Jin Sowoon's shout made him quickly turn his head.
“Aaaaaah!”
Jin Sowoon was locked in battle with the Iron Zombie. Without even avoiding its nails, he focused only on relentlessly killing it.
‘If he gets poisoned by corpse poison...’
Moyong Jaehwa wanted to rush over and help, but right now, he would be nothing but a burden to Jin Sowoon.
It was the same even now.
He was using the arrows Jin Sowoon had sent him to imitate Thunderclap Arrow, but it wasn't enough to turn the situation around.
If he had truly perfected Thunderclap Arrow, would those blood-robed men have even dared approach again?
Moyong Jaehwa shook off the thoughts clouding his mind and drew his bowstring again.
Twang. Whoosh!
Boom!
The arrow exploded, dealing heavy damage to the blood-robed men.
Behind it, Ilgak tore through their ranks and kept them from coming any closer.
Still, those thoughts weren't so easily cast aside.
‘If I had only perfected Thunderclap Arrow... If I'd tried harder...’
Brother wouldn't have needed to fight so desperately.
No, he wouldn't have had to charge into this deadly place to save him.
The thought made Moyong Jaehwa's chest feel even heavier.
‘What am I even doing?’
The blood-robed men were no longer approaching.
They hesitated and retreated, no longer trying to close in on Ilgak.
‘Why?’
Following their gazes, Moyong Jaehwa turned and saw Jin Sowoon standing there with golden sword force around him.
Looking down along Jin Sowoon's line of sight, he saw the Iron Zombie, split in half and no longer moving.
‘My God...’
In the end, Brother had defeated even the Iron Zombie alone.
“Young Master Jaehwa! They're retreating!”
Despite Eun Seollan's delighted voice, Moyong Jaehwa couldn't bring himself to be happy.
He felt guilty toward Jin Sowoon because he'd ultimately failed to live up to Jin Sowoon's expectations.
“Brother Jin!”
Once the blood-robed men began retreating in earnest, Eun Seollan, who had been hiding, ran over and embraced Jin Sowoon.
After his brief reunion with Eun Seollan, Jin Sowoon also spoke with Ilgak and Nam Hwaseong.
“...”
Moyong Jaehwa took a step forward, then stopped where he was.
In the end, he couldn't approach Jin Sowoon.
Then...
“Moyong Jaehwa!”
Jin Sowoon called out to him.
“B-brother...!”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Jin Sowoon strode over as if angry, and Moyong Jaehwa took a hesitant step back.
Still, he couldn't avoid Jin Sowoon's hand when it suddenly reached for his own.
“Did you keep shooting while freezing a hand torn up like this? Good heavens!”
Jin Sowoon's gaze focused only on Moyong Jaehwa's right fingers.
After inspecting the wounds, Jin Sowoon clicked his tongue.
“Tch. Well, it must be your first time using an iron bow. It'll take time to get used to it.”
He tore a strip from his martial robe, applied golden wound medicine, and wrapped the injuries.
“Still, you held out well with the arrows I sent you.”
“...What?”
“You probably don't know how many people you saved.”
Moyong Jaehwa had only contributed a little with his imperfect archery, yet Jin Sowoon praised him even for that.
He couldn't raise his head.
Jin Sowoon gently stroked Moyong Jaehwa's head.
“You really did well.”
“...”
His hand throbbed and his body felt as though it would fall apart, but somehow, he felt restored.
“Let's go back.”
Those words from Jin Sowoon made Moyong Jaehwa feel all right.
Footnotes:
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