WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 577: Dragon Hunting (5)
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A streak of black light tore through the air.
It flew straight for the space between Jin Sowoon’s brows, as though it would pierce through them.
Thud!
Yet it stopped just before reaching them.
He had caught Ghost Spirit Soul-Slaying Strike, imbued with eighty percent of Gu Do-cheong’s power, and his expression had not changed in the slightest.
“Hey, snake eyes. Why are you throwing trash when you were in the middle of talking?”
A chill ran down Gu Do-cheong’s spine.
Interesting.
What an incredibly interesting human.
He seemed to know Gu Do-cheong’s true identity, yet showed neither fear nor tension.
And what of those eyes, which watched him so obsessively as though trying to uncover even the smallest clue?
They were just like his own eyes when he observed prey.
Jin Sowoon was on a completely different level from the weak martial artists of the martial world, who staggered whenever an incident broke out and were swept along by circumstances.
No matter the danger, he latched onto his opponent’s weakness...
‘Yes, rather than a martial artist...’
He was closer to a member of the Demonic Cult.
Perhaps it was only natural that the Little Demon had taken such a deep interest in him.
Natural, natural...
‘Ah, no. No. Then the Little Demon will hate me.’
Gu Do-cheong’s lips twitched strangely before he finally came to his senses.
“Hmm, do you not know what that is?”
“What the fuck is it? Do I have to know the identity of every creepy thing you bastards use?”
“Hehe. You should.”
He wanted to kill him.
He wanted to kill him so badly.
His fellow disciples, family, and friends. He wanted to kill them all.
Ah, yes. That was why.
“The reason we became involved in the Green Forest’s war is...”
He wanted to become Jin Sowoon’s most terrible enemy.
“Because of you, Black Flame Dragon.”
He wanted to become the person Jin Sowoon would rage at, hate, and despise the most.
He wanted to receive that gaze, filled entirely with killing intent.
“Because of what you did, the martial world is going to lose its dragon.”
Jin Sowoon did not even twitch at his words.
Still, Gu Do-cheong could sense it through his natural sense of smell.
A chill ran through him.
‘Oh, is it coming...?!’
Jin Sowoon intended to kill him.
“A dragon...? I don’t understand any of this.”
Jin Sowoon acted unconcerned as he looked at the Cold Jade Bangle’s claw Gu Do-cheong had thrown at him, but he had already prepared himself for battle.
No, he had already resolved to kill him.
‘W-What should I do?’
If Jin Sowoon tried to kill him before the operation began, he would have no choice but to respond.
Then he would have to cripple him or kill him...
The Little Demon would certainly be furious.
But he could not continue that train of thought.
Emotions erupting like a volcano could not be restrained by reason as thin as ice.
“Heh... Hehehe... Hahahaha!”
Just as expected, Jin Sowoon swung his sword.
#
Screeech!
Extreme Swiftness of the Three White Moon Heaven-Subduing Forms slashed across his waist.
Yet blood denser than that of an ordinary human blocked Extreme Swiftness’s cutting power.
“Ehehehe!”
Half his waist had been severed, but the bastard was enjoying himself like a madman.
“Y-Younger Brother... What in the world is that?”
“What do you mean, what is it...”
Whoosh!
“What are you doing? Attack him already!”
I unleashed the Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand through the Void-Destroying Fist.
My internal energy felt as though it had been scooped out, and flames rose from his severed waist.
“Kihihihit!”
The composed bastard from before was gone. All that remained was a madman with unfocused eyes.
Anxiety washed over me at the thought that his true form would soon emerge.
I used the Twin Heavens Sword Art and carved him apart, preventing him from responding as Gan Se-ung had.
But...
“Kyahahahahaha!”
Dozens of blades cut across his entire body.
The Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand, which could never be extinguished once it touched demonic qi, clung to his abdomen.
Even so, he did not stop laughing.
Along with his laughter, blood poured from his severed abdomen like a waterfall.
It was an amount no one could believe had come from one person.
Blood flowed as though a reservoir had burst, carrying the Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand away with it.
Soon, the Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand absorbed the blood thick with demonic qi like oil and spread in every direction.
“Haaah!”
Bang Duchil’s fist strike, which created a fierce gale, launched him into the air.
Boom!
The explosive roar of the Gale Mad Demon Fist shook heaven and earth.
He crashed onto the ground as a mangled heap.
Tremble, tremble, tremble.
His seemingly lifeless body convulsed.
I immediately gathered internal energy in my palm.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Overwhelming power gathered, enough to make the surrounding space shake.
Then it burst outward in every direction.
Kwakakakakakakakaboom!
The Northern Forest Alliance’s Green Forest bandits, struck without warning, were sent flying everywhere by the aftermath of the Mad Heaven Divine Palm.
I had controlled its strength, so no one should die.
I turned and extended my hand toward the Southern Forest Alliance as well.
“Huh?”
“B-Black Dragon Stronghold Leader? We of the Southern Forest Alliance...”
“That’s why I told you to fall back!”
Then I unleashed the Mad Heaven Divine Palm at the Southern Forest Alliance too.
Kwakakakakakakakaboom!
Green Forest bandits flew like fallen leaves as the Mad Heaven Divine Palm struck the Southern Forest Alliance’s ranks.
“Younger Brother, what are you doing?”
“Do not, under any circumstances, give that bastard blood.”
“Hm?”
There were no Green Forest bandits within twenty jang in any direction.
We had to settle this within this space...
“Hehehehe. Hehehehehe.”
Then Gu Do-cheong, who had been lying face-down on the ground, began shaking as he let out a strange laugh.
“As expected, as expected... You knew, heh, you knew all along.”
Was this still not enough?
Three White Moon Heaven-Subduing Forms
Second Form
Extreme Strength
Dozens of strands of qi force shot toward him.
Bang Duchil must have sensed something strange too. He spared no internal energy as he fired qi force after qi force.
More than a hundred streams of qi force struck him directly without leaving so much as a gap.
The moment they reached him...
“Kraaaaaaah!”
A red monster burst out, opening a mouth as large as a house and swallowing the qi force.
The thing made of blood soon...
Kwakangkangkangkang!
The qi force it had swallowed exploded inside it.
Blood gushed out in thick waves each time.
“W-What the hell is that?!”
“Ghk...”
Yet the red form retained its horrific shape.
“Fuck...”
The Blood Demon Madman I had feared most had finally appeared.
“Younger Brother...”
“From now on, we go all out. Pour out every last bit of the strength you used to nurse at your mother’s breast.”
“My mother died as soon as she gave birth to me.”
“Damn it! Sorry!”
Filled with rage, I swung my sword at him.
[Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art]
[Heavenly Sword]
Just as the Ten Thousand Swords, split into four, were about to unleash the Twin Heavens Sword Art...
Peeeeng!
Three black signal flares burst in the sky.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
“Hm?”
“Huh?”
In an instant, the Blood Demon Madman vanished.
“Oh... It seems time is up. What a terrible shame.”
Gu Do-cheong, who had been a grotesque, mangled wreck, was suddenly standing there neat and clean, smiling with his eyes.
“Let today’s meeting lead to an even more enjoyable one next time.”
Having suddenly returned to his original appearance, Gu Do-cheong disappeared without a trace.
Gu Do-cheong’s Heavenly Demon Movement Art had reached the Peak Realm.
Bang Duchil and I, who had been preparing for a final battle, froze in place.
Bang Duchil stood blankly for a long while before asking me, “Did we... win?”
“No.”
I gave my brief thoughts on the battle.
“We survived.”
#
Contrary to our initial expectations, capturing the Baeksong Sect members proved extremely difficult.
The moment Hwa Jeongsan appeared, they scattered in every direction.
“Wait, you bastards! If you run away...!”
“The Deputy Stronghold Leader is more naive than expected.”
His last hope shattered, and the faint hope he had held turned into anger.
“You think you can get away?!”
Yet the Baeksong Sect member he had barely managed to seize suddenly collapsed, foam spilling from their mouth.
At the same time, white smoke poured from their ears and nose as their body began melting away.
“What the...”
“You must not touch them.”
Dang Seohui grabbed his hand and warned him, bringing him back to his senses.
“What about the others?!”
“You should worry about something else first.”
“Hm?”
Following Dang Seohui’s gaze, he looked up and saw figures in black martial uniforms surrounding them.
While chasing the Baeksong Sect members, they had somehow entered the center of the Northern Forest Alliance’s camp.
‘Peak Realm... or even higher...’
The aura each one gave off was far from ordinary.
Even judged conservatively, their strength was at least at the Peak Realm.
What organization in the martial world could use people of such caliber as ordinary unit members?
Unlike the Green Forest bandits, their every movement was disciplined.
“Their energy conceals poison. Be careful not to get poisoned.”
As Dang Seohui spoke, the demonic beings rushed in.
They made Hwa Jeongsan more tense than any opponent he had faced so far.
Shing!
He thought he had dodged with room to spare, but the blade passed just over Hwa Jeongsan’s neck.
Snip.
Before the severed strands of hair could reach the ground, another attack followed.
Eyes, throat, heart, solar plexus, dantian.
There was not a single place where a strike would not be fatal.
These were not martial artists.
They were closer to assassins.
That only made Hwa Jeongsan happier.
Assassins might be dangerous to ordinary martial artists, but they had difficulty displaying their full skill against a martial artist like him.
“Dang Seohui! These bastards are assassins!”
“...”
Dang Seohui, who was facing the enemies herself, spoke to him with a more expressionless face than ever.
“That is not something to be pleased about.”
“...”
After teasing him like that all this time, she was suddenly serious now?
Anger rose in him for a moment, but he had to deal with these people first.
Shrring!
His sword moved gracefully.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
He blocked the assassins’ swords and gained distance, drawing them close enough.
Then his sword began to unleash killing moves in earnest.
Slash!
One man in black martial attire was decapitated, blood spraying from the severed neck.
“Huh?”
Instead of the stench of blood, a sweet floral fragrance spread through the air.
“T-This is...”
The Green Forest bandits, who had been fighting fiercely, turned their eyes toward Hwa Jeongsan and the demonic beings.
“Plum blossoms! Plum blossoms!”
The most famous and most beautiful sword art in the martial world.
Mount Hua Sect’s Plum Blossom Sword Art had been unleashed.
Tap.
Tap.
Beautiful petals drifted down as though carried by the wind.
A demonic being carelessly swatted a petal away with a hand, and that hand was severed at once.
“Ghk!”
Dark red blood burst from behind the veil covering their mouth.
Those captivated by supreme beauty suffered the deadliest wounds.
Fourteen-Hand Plum Blossom Sword Art.
Petals far clearer than anything he had displayed during his past fight with Jin Sowoon scattered beautifully.
The petals, which had fallen one by one at first, soon began falling without pause.
“I...”
The demonic beings aiming for Hwa Jeongsan’s fatal acupoints died helplessly.
“It is Mount Hua Sect’s New Plum Blossom Sword!”
Just as his sword forms were about to fully unfold...
Hum!
Hwa Jeongsan’s petals suddenly gathered in one direction.
The demonic being at their edge crouched down, then kicked off the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Half-jang-long sword force pushed the petals aside and rushed at Hwa Jeongsan in an instant.
Before he could even be shocked by the strange sword art he had never seen or heard of, Hwa Jeongsan hurriedly twisted his sword to block the sword force.
“Why?!”
The petals scattered apart the moment they touched the demonic being.
The startled Hwa Jeongsan hesitated for an instant.
Slash!
Slash!
Silver thread shot out like a spiderweb from behind the man releasing sword force and began binding his body.
Yet the demonic being twisted at the last moment and escaped the web’s range.
“Are you all right?”
“...”
“If you do not come to your senses, you will die here.”
As Dang Seohui said, there would be time to think about what had happened later.
If they could survive now.
“I’ll handle that bastard first.”
“That is the right choice.”
Then...
Peeeeng!
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Three signal flares burst, and the men in black martial attire relaxed their battle stances.
Then they all kicked off the ground and began retreating.
Hwa Jeongsan watched them go and muttered blankly, “Dang Seohui... Did you see that?”
“See what?”
“Those bastards.”
His eyes turned colder than ever.
“They turned away without hesitation, even though their comrades had died.”
Absolute obedience to orders was essential in a unit, but no one could leave comrades they had lived and fought beside lying dead nearby as though they were useless objects.
That sight shocked Hwa Jeongsan more than anything he had experienced before.
Dang Seohui nodded as though she had heard something familiar.
“They are strange no matter when you meet them.”
Hwa Jeongsan could not hide his surprise.
#
After the three signal flares burst, the Southern Forest Alliance, which had been at a disadvantage, began recovering rapidly.
The Iron Demon Sword Unit and Demon-Slashing Wolf Unit, which had been facing the Gale Unit, retreated, leaving the Northern Forest Alliance desperately short of experts.
“Attack!”
“There are no experts left!”
“Kill them!”
The Southern Forest Alliance’s Green Forest bandits, who had not given up despite being at a disadvantage, surged forward with renewed courage and pushed back the Northern Forest Alliance’s Green Forest bandits.
As the Gale Unit began to distinguish itself, the Southern Forest Alliance recovered most of its ranks and began overwhelming the Northern Forest Alliance.
“Do not fall back!”
“I said do not retreat!”
The Northern Forest Alliance stronghold leaders threatened their own Green Forest bandits.
“Hey! Jangseong Stronghold Leader.”
“B-Bang Duchil!”
Bang Duchil and I cut off their heads.
Once the stronghold leaders died, the Northern Forest Alliance’s Green Forest bandits had no one left to keep them in line. They were busy surrendering or fleeing.
Waaaaah!
Waaaaah!
Amid thunderous cheers of victory, Bang Duchil asked me with a stiff expression, “Why do you think they retreated?”
He felt it too.
If the Demonic Cult had remained until the end, we would not have won this battle.
“To understand that, we must first learn why they came here.”
Gu Do-cheong had said they joined the battle because of me.
It sounded as though they had come to kill me...
‘But they did not kill me.’
They simply left.
Even after showing such clear hostility.
They had even suppressed the Blood Demon Madman again.
None of their actions made any sense, even when compared with the memories of my previous life.
Bang Duchil quietly watched the Southern Forest Alliance’s Green Forest bandits cheering.
“I thought winning here meant we had claimed victory, but...”
His voice was heavier than ever.
“...I do not think this is over.”
Countless Green Forest bandits around us shouted in celebration and savored their victory.
But this victory left me more uneasy than ever.
‘What could it possibly be for?’
I could not take my eyes off the direction in which they had disappeared.
Footnotes:
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