WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 583: In the Line of Fire (5)
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What should a person do if they cannot take revenge on their enemy?
The enemy who killed my parents, my family, and everyone I loved in the most horrific and painful way.
What should a person do if they cannot take revenge on such a hateful enemy?
Some might say living well is the best revenge.
But that is nothing more than self-deception, something only those who have never suffered a terrible misfortune could say.
They have never watched those they dearly loved tear at their own flesh, scratch at a door until their nails fell out, then, unable to bear the pain, eventually beg for death.
And what if, no matter how well I lived, I knew my life could be shattered by my enemy's power at any moment?
I would realize that even the life I led was nothing more than cowardly self-preservation, gained by turning away from the suffering of those precious to me.
That was why every breath Yong Soa took was painful.
Ever since he learned the identity of his hateful enemy.
Even more so after realizing he could never take revenge on that enemy.
He was too keenly aware of his own intelligence to turn away from reality and comfort himself.
Yet he could not face reality and accept his helplessness and despair, either. He could not stop the rage and hatred crashing over him like waves.
Like a moth throwing itself into a blazing wildfire, like an egg striking a rock even as it knew it would break.
He could not simply find meaning in the act itself and show his enemy the depth of his resentment.
He knew too well that a hate-filled cry of, “I’ll curse you even in death,” was no more than trivial noise to them, less noticeable than the beating of a mosquito’s wings.
So Yong Soa chose the best revenge.
He would interfere with their task and purpose.
And through that, he would complete his revenge.
A sudden shower does not last all day.
No matter how great one’s power and authority, it could not last forever.
The powerful Western and Eastern Han dynasties had lasted only two centuries.
After the Nine Sects One Gang and Five Great Clans became its pillars, the Martial Alliance enjoyed a golden age, but that too had lasted only five centuries.
The day the Demonic Cult’s flourishing era declined.
Yong Soa’s plan to take revenge by destroying the Demonic Cult on that day had been formed then.
Clang-clang-clang!
He could not let the future slip away here.
Clang-clang-clang!
He could not give up on the Martial Alliance’s future, nearly fading into nothing more than futile hope.
“Y-Yong Soa!”
The enemies using acrid demonic qi possessed demonic qi far beyond that of ordinary martial artists.
The sword qi they unleashed was less about precise strikes and more about sweeping everything away through sheer volume.
Dozens of sword qi attacks surged forward like waves.
Even the Orthodox Society’s elites were cowed by that overwhelming destructive power.
Yong Soa resolutely unleashed the Nine Palaces Divine Movement Sword.
Boom-boom-boom!
He cut through only the largest currents amid the countless waves of sword qi, and successive explosions tore apart the clusters of sword qi.
“Ah, ahead!”
He charged through the scattering fragments of sword qi.
He forced his way through the sword qi fragments pouring down like rain and unleashed the Linked Life-Severing Sword.
Shk! Shk!
The headless bodies of demonic beings spouted fountains of blood in Yong Soa’s wake.
The sword formation formed by thirty demonic beings wavered for a moment. Yong Soa did not miss that brief opening and cut down three more.
The demonic beings’ attacks quickened.
They were vicious enough not to scream even as they died, yet Yong Soa’s composure still made them anxious.
“Attack!”
“Kill him!”
The Orthodox Society members, who had hesitated before the demonic beings’ momentum, rushed forward with savage force.
Their pride, crushed in an instant, turned into fury. With rage filling their minds, they acted as though even the pain from small wounds had gone numb.
“You bastards!”
“Did you think things would go your way?”
“Die!”
At the brink of death, even their desire to survive had been swallowed by rage. For the first time in their lives, they fought without restraint.
Thud!
Thud!
Crunch!
Some even used the Lazy Donkey Roll, something they would never normally have used. Others dropped their swords and tore into their opponents’ necks with their teeth.
Perhaps startled by that momentum, roughly half of the remaining demonic beings flinched and began to flee.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
“Whew, whew, whew.”
No one chased after the demonic beings.
No, no one could.
Already exhausted by the succession of battles, the members had spent all their strength simply fighting this one.
“How dare they, when they don’t even know who we are.”
At the words of a member whose mouth was smeared with blood, another member, caked in dirt from using the Lazy Donkey Roll, gave a short laugh.
“Yeah. We fought this fiercely, so they probably won’t attack again.”
“...”
No one answered cheerfully.
They knew too well that his words could not come true.
“Brother Jang!”
There was not even time to catch their breath.
“Brother Jang! Stay with us!”
“Cough. Tell my, my master... that I fought hard until the end... Cough, I fought hard.”
“Brother Jang, you have to tell them yourself...!”
“Death Gate... Mount Hua’s name... Cough, wasn’t disgraced.”
Deaths and injuries were inevitable after a battle, but there were an especially large number of wounded this time.
“Haiju!”
“Over here! We need treatment... treatment!”
“We need a councilor!”
Countless injured people stood at the boundary between life and death, but all they could do for them was apply golden wound medicine.
The Orthodox Society members had to watch their comrades slowly stop breathing for what felt like a very long time.
“Everyone, we need to move.”
At Yong Soa’s words as he shook the blood from his sword, those whose stained faces were wet with tears stared blankly at him.
As though they had just heard something they never should have heard.
“They’ll be here soon.”
Only then did they realize that he meant there was not even time to conserve their strength, much less mourn their dead.
The members’ eyes turned fiercely toward Yong Soa.
His presence had saved everyone here, but even so, this could not be considered human conduct.
As the atmosphere grew even worse, one member rebuked Yong Soa.
“Yong Soa, everyone is too exhausted.”
“If we stay here...”
“I know. But isn’t it impossible to move when both body and mind are exhausted?”
Yong Soa’s impassive brow furrowed as he was about to speak.
Bzzzt!
[Resting a little makes me feel alive again earlier what you said was too much wasn’t it I don’t know please if only we can return alive don’t worry close your eyes nothing happened]
The Orthodox Society’s future unfolded before Yong Soa’s eyes.
“...!”
Yong Soa closed his mouth with a confused expression.
[Shouldn’t you rest a little too?]
“Shouldn’t you rest a little too?”
The member spoke exactly as Yong Soa had just seen.
“They must have suffered considerable losses too, so let’s rest here for today.”
After hesitating for a moment, Yong Soa answered.
“Then, not here... Let’s move over there.”
“Hmm? Yes, that’s a good idea. There are too many corpses here, and the place is too open.”
The Orthodox Society members carefully moved those who would soon die behind a hill.
Yong Soa alone remained confused amid the quiet silence.
Staying here was no different from putting his head into a tiger’s jaws and going to sleep.
Even so, he had chosen to rest here because Dragon Eye had shown him the way.
It had told him that this step was essential to the Martial Alliance’s long journey to the Northern Sea.
[Yong Soa, you’re wrong!]
After a brief moment of confusion, Yong Soa regained his clear mirror and still water.
‘I am not wrong.’
He had vowed never to doubt this path again.
#
Fortunately, truly fortunately.
I didn’t have to call myself the Black Dragon Stronghold Leader...
“Brother, I was worried. Good thing you didn’t get into a fight.”
Bang Duchil and the Gale Unit arrived sooner than expected.
“...”
A flood of regret washed over me.
‘I should’ve waited just a little longer.’
With Bang Duchil here, I was about to take a step back.
Then he looked at me strangely.
“Brother, what are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
Bang Duchil faintly smiled and patted my shoulder.
“You need to announce that the Black Dragon Stronghold Leader has arrived.”
When had this man even heard about that?
Bang Duchil chuckled.
“Do you know why the Northern Forest Alliance’s Stronghold Leaders came looking for you?”
“Why?”
“They planned to give you half of the Green Forest.”
“...”
That must have been based on the assumption that I’d defeated Bang Duchil.
It was nothing but the unrealistic delusion of Stronghold Leaders.
“So shouldn’t you step forward? If you’re going to become the Northern Forest Alliance Leader, you need to make your name known from now on.”
“Quit it and get this over with.”
“...Tch. Fine.”
As the Yuseong Unit, the Gale Unit, and the newly joined Northern Forest Alliance Green Forest bandits moved inside, the presences of the Green Forest bandits blocking Despair Valley began to emerge one by one.
Bang Duchil drew on his internal energy and shouted thunderously.
“The war is over!!!”
His voice was so loud that the Green Forest bandits behind us staggered.
“I, Bang Duchil, the Green Dragon King, and Jin Sowoon, the Raging Dragon, have unified the Green Forest!”
Why didn’t he just put up a notice for all under heaven saying I was a Green Forest bandit?
Why was he so desperate to drag me into the Green Forest?
“Everyone, surrender! Otherwise, I’ll take it as defiance of the Green Forest Alliance Leader’s command and smash your heads in!”
Dang Seohui added a Lion’s Roar.
“The Black Phoenix Stronghold Leader won’t spare you either!”
My head throbbed.
Perhaps their heads hurt like mine did, because whispers began rising from all around.
They murmured among themselves, confirming the story with one another.
Then a powerful presence came from the ridge.
When I sharpened my vision, I saw a man wearing a bearskin in the distance.
“Don’t make me laugh! The war isn’t over yet!”
The man wearing the bearskin seemed to be a Stronghold Leader, and the flustered Green Forest bandits immediately regained their senses.
“What are you waiting for? This is our chance to take Bang Duchil’s head! I’ll give a chest of gold to whoever brings me his head!”
At his words, nearly three hundred Green Forest bandits began charging at once.
As expected, my act as the Black Dragon Stronghold Leader had only worked because I was lucky.
Even with just one mediocre Stronghold Leader, they obeyed his words like puppets.
“Hmm... This has become troublesome.”
Killing Northern Forest Alliance Green Forest bandits during the war was one thing, but now that the war was over, slaughtering them mercilessly was not a good choice for the Green Forest’s future.
Still, it wasn’t as though we could subdue all these people one by one while moving forward.
Hmm, then...
“Brother, can I kill that Stronghold Leader?”
“The Stronghold Leader?”
If they had no choice but to obey because the Stronghold Leader was there, then all we had to do was kill the Stronghold Leader.
“It doesn’t matter. We needed to kill people like him anyway.”
“Understood. Jaehwa!”
Moyong Jaehwa slowly stepped forward and drew his bow.
“Huh? The trees are in the way. You won’t be able to hit him.”
“Our Jaehwa doesn’t need to worry about that.”
Twang!
The arrow flew toward the Stronghold Leader.
The Stronghold Leader did not even dodge, apparently believing the arrow was no threat.
Then...
Boom!
The arrow that fell above the Stronghold Leader’s head exploded, scattering into dozens of fragments.
“Agh!”
The Stronghold Leader and the Green Forest bandits guarding him died on the spot with brief cries.
Once the Stronghold Leader died, the Northern Forest Alliance’s Green Forest bandits appeared unsure whether they should continue their charge.
“Let’s see now, is there anyone else who wants to die?”
When Bang Duchil made a casual (?) threat to kill them, they readily surrendered.
Just as we expected, the Green Forest bandits had been surrounding and attacking the Orthodox Society members.
Through the Green Forest bandits assigned to search, we were able to learn how the Orthodox Society had moved.
Despair Valley itself had such a complicated structure that I could not tell where anything was, even while looking at a map.
Bang Duchil’s expression, however, was grim as he looked at it.
“Brother, don’t they teach tactics in the Martial Alliance?”
“They do. We start learning them at the Martial Arts Academy.”
“And... you said the people who entered here were elites?”
“Yes.”
“Yong Soa was among them too?”
“...Is something wrong?”
Bang Duchil pointed at the map as though he found it even stranger.
“Something is very wrong.”
His eyes turned cold.
“They keep entering places where they’ll die.”
Footnotes:
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