WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 473: Searching for Evidence (3)
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Seo Unchang, a swindler who had passed the lower-ranked martial artist examination without knowing a shred of martial arts, once said:
[Fooling people isn’t particularly difficult. All you have to do is follow their greed.]
What did Mak Hyowol, no, the Tanghyeon Sect, desire?
To get through this inspection without incident.
Then to continue their daily lives as before, without any trouble.
That was probably their greatest desire.
Some might ask how that counted as greed, but ironically, what people who had committed wrongs and crimes wanted most was the peace of an ordinary life.
[When greed blinds you, you make mistakes. Once you grow impatient and start rushing, you do things you normally wouldn’t.]
If Mak Hyowol had not grown impatient over being suspected.
If they had not clung so desperately to the peace of their daily life.
Then they might not have been so easily deceived by an illusion created with a basic illusion art.
They would have quickly realized that Dream Soul Incense had altered their body.
Yet the tragedy before their eyes was the despair they had always turned away from and fled. Mak Hyowol could no longer remain rational.
“Blood Men?”
“……”
Inside the massive cave, people who had been captured trembled in fear within the Golden Prison cells lining the corridors.
As I followed the fearful atmosphere with my gaze toward the far end of the cave…
Creak-
Ten Blood Men hung from the wall.
“They appear incomplete.”
Their skin and eyes were all burning red.
If they had been complete, they would likely have been impossible to distinguish from humans.
“How could you commit something like this?”
Strangely, Mak Hyowol’s bloodshot eyes looked as though they might shed tears of blood at any moment, just like those of the Blood Men.
“…Didn’t I tell you? Trust is meaningless before power. You agreed with me.”
“I did. I agreed…”
“Yes! You can understand, can’t you? Your sect has also endured countless years of oppression and…”
That was not the kind of agreement I had meant.
No matter how wronged or resentful one felt, there were lines that could not be crossed.
“Only so long as it does not harm others.”
“……”
“The moment you harm others for your own benefit…”
I cast a distant gaze toward the horrific scene spread across the far end of the cave.
“You have already crossed that line beyond measure.”
Ignoring Mak Hyowol’s vacant expression, I inspected the people locked inside the Golden Prison.
One person caught my eye.
A woman with disheveled hair. She bore a strange resemblance to the child in beggar’s clothes I had seen on the street.
“Were you wearing a red headband?”
“……”
Terrified, the woman could only remain still, unable to answer my question properly.
“Your daughter seems to be looking for you.”
“!”
Only then did she come to her senses and rush up to the bars.
“S-Seunga! Is Seunga all right?”
“I don’t know. She kept calling someone with a red headband her mother as she searched for her.”
“Ah… Sir, please let me out. She’s already lost her father. If she loses me too, my daughter…”
“Please wait a little longer. You’ll be out soon.”
When I turned around, the Blood Men began descending from the wall one by one.
I asked Mak Hyowol, “Do you truly intend to see this through to the end?”
“……”
Without a word, Mak Hyowol stared at the incomplete Blood Men as if they were their final hope.
I no longer needed an answer.
I drew the Scarlet Radiance Sword.
Hum-
Golden radiance filled with Jade Clarity Celestial Phenomenon Force brightly lit the dark cave.
“The Dragon-Phoenix Association is already upstairs. It’s only a matter of time before this becomes known.”
Step. Step. Step.
The Blood Men opened their eyes wide.
Even the parts that should have been white were blood-red, and they moved while surrendering themselves entirely to instinct.
Their killing intent filled every corner of the cave.
“Guhk-”
“Gack!”
The ordinary people locked in the Golden Prison clutched their throats and gasped for breath.
I spread the Jade Clarity Celestial Phenomenon Force farther, easing the pressure on their airways.
Then…
“You said that the moment someone harms others for their own benefit, they have crossed the line?”
Mak Hyowol’s hollow voice echoed through the cave.
Mak Hyowol had turned their gaze from the Blood Men and fixed it on me.
“Do you know who crosses that line most often?”
As if following their voice, the Blood Men lowered their bodies.
“They are…”
Then…
“The Martial Alliance bastards!”
Kyaang-
The Blood Men pounced like feral cats.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
I fired sword qi at the Blood Men as they lunged at me, clinging to the cave walls and Golden Prison bars as if glue covered their hands.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Kehk!
Black blood poured from their cuts.
‘This isn’t enough to cut them apart.’
I had thought the demon-subjugating power of Jade Clarity Celestial Phenomenon Force would be enough to slice through them, but perhaps their blood energy had not yet fully matured because they were incomplete.
I immediately unleashed the Twin Heavens Sword Art and attacked the four Blood Men charging ahead.
Slice! Slice! Slice!
Fingers were severed. Ears were cut off. Sword qi grazed past their necks.
Even so, the grotesque creatures did not stop charging.
Once they drew close enough, their mouths split open.
Huge molars, too large to believe they belonged to humans, came into view.
“Don’t shove those foul-smelling mouths at me!”
Bam bam bam bam bam bam bam!
The force of Myriad Blossoms Invincible Fist pulverized the Blood Men, crushing the head of the one that had taken the greatest blow.
I drew up more internal energy and expanded the Jade Clarity Celestial Phenomenon Force.
I avoided the claws aimed at my vital acupoints and cut through arms and ankles.
Kehk!
Perhaps it could still feel pain because its nerves remained intact. I stomped on the screaming Blood Man’s head, then used the rebound to cut another Blood Man flying at me in half at the waist.
Slice-
Without retrieving my sword, I swung it through the neck of a Blood Man that had turned and rushed me from behind. As I pulled the blade free, I stabbed between its arm and side.
Thrust-
Guhk-
I did not know what sort of blood venom might be hidden within that dark-red blood, so I avoided it as much as possible and scattered the Lesser Heaven Sword Art in every direction.
The sword qi spread so widely that part of the Golden Prison was cut away.
“Do not move yet. I cannot guarantee your safety.”
“Y-Yes!”
After reassuring those in the Golden Prison, I immediately slipped between the Blood Men.
There was not the slightest principle of martial arts in the claw techniques, hand techniques, or fist arts they used.
It was proof that they had not even reached an incomplete stage and had merely been made capable of moving.
Naturally, Blood Men like that could not move effectively.
They could not even coordinate with one another, sometimes stabbing through their own companions.
As they briefly stared at one another after a stray attack, I cut off one of their arms and beheaded the Blood Man standing stupidly nearby.
Slice-
Once more than five Blood Men had fallen, perhaps impatience had begun to mount, for the attacks became bolder.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Every fist they threw buried itself deep in the cave wall.
I stepped back and immediately took a sword-drawing stance, aiming for its neck.
Clang!
It blocked the Scarlet Radiance Sword, but its arm was severed.
Just as I was about to swing again…
“Behind you!”
One of the Blood Men that had fallen rose again and charged at me with its neck bent at an unnatural angle.
“I told you not to shove that foul-smelling mouth at me.”
We were underground, with many ordinary people nearby, so I had wanted to avoid using Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand. Yet its stubborn vitality ultimately forced me to bring out the flames.
Thud!
A fist filled with the power of Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand pierced through its mouth and blew a clean hole through its head.
It seemed fire really was the answer to most things.
Another Blood Man charged in with one arm severed.
I threw the Scarlet Radiance Sword at it. The blade pierced through its arm and drove it into the wall.
Then Sacred Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand pierced its heart.
The Blood Man with a hole blown through its chest soon lost all momentum, hanging its head as it collapsed.
Only three Blood Men remained.
At least these three charged in coordination.
I wondered if one of them was more complete than the others.
Slice-
But their durability proved otherwise.
There were simply fewer Blood Men to control, so their movements had changed.
A change in their movements alone could not turn this fight around.
Slice! Slice! Slice!
It did not even take an ilgak[1] for the remaining three Blood Men to collapse like puppets with their strings cut.
“It is over.”
“…Yes. It is over.”
Mak Hyowol had not joined the battle, either during it or after it ended.
Mak Hyowol had only watched my one-sided fight against the Blood Men with a vacant expression.
Only now did a sigh escape through Mak Hyowol’s teeth.
“…As expected, trust is meaningless before power.”
Mak Hyowol lowered their head weakly.
#
When I cut off the Golden Prison locks, the captives poured out and gathered behind me.
“If you truly cherish your disciples, do not try to atone for your wrongs with your own life.”
“…?”
The slumped figure raised their head.
I gestured toward the Blood Men crushed miserably across the floor.
“Your disciples did not know, did they?”
“You…”
I no longer wished to speak with Mak Hyowol, so I turned away.
Then I picked up the head of one of the Blood Men rolling on the ground and began walking slowly.
“Eek-”
“H-How could you…”
“I have a use for it.”
The people who had been locked in the Golden Prison recoiled in horror, but this was not the time to consider their peace of mind.
It was necessary to prevent a greater problem.
When I climbed the stairs and left the Sect Leader’s Hall, lights had been lit throughout the Tanghyeon Sect.
Every Tanghyeon Sect disciple had drawn a sword with hostile expressions, while the Dragon-Phoenix Association stood before the Sect Leader’s Hall, facing them down.
“Where is the Sect Leader?!”
They must have thought Mak Hyowol’s scream after seeing the illusion art had been caused by an attack.
Looking around, I saw several Tanghyeon Sect disciples lying unconscious on the ground.
“Do you think you can commit such an act and be forgiven just because you are the Dragon-Phoenix Association?”
Sang Jayang spoke coldly.
I answered, “Throw down your weapons and surrender.”
“Have you lost your mind?!”
I threw the Blood Man’s head at Sang Jayang.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
After rolling several times, it came to a stop at Sang Jayang’s feet.
“W-What is this?!”
“…What have you done?”
Both the Tanghyeon Sect and the Dragon-Phoenix Association recoiled at its hideous appearance, but Sang Jayang only furrowed their brow deeply.
“……”
Sang Jayang pressed their lips together and stared at me.
Sang Jayang’s eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
Before Sang Jayang could make the wrong choice as well, I spoke.
Naturally, I omitted everything related to Azure Dragon Pavilion.
“Dispel the arcane formation and surrender immediately. People will come from the Martial Alliance branch, and every member of the Tanghyeon Sect will be taken to the Martial Alliance.”
I turned my gaze from Sang Jayang to the people of the Tanghyeon Sect.
“Everyone responsible for this will either lose their heads or be locked in the Golden Prison for the rest of their lives, never to see sunlight again. Even those who are not responsible, simply because they belonged to the Tanghyeon Sect, will live under the surveillance of the Inspectorate and Enforcement Hall for the rest of their lives…”
The killing intent of the Tanghyeon Sect’s disciples steadily rose.
The tension stretched so taut that a battle could break out at any moment.
“The Tanghyeon Sect will disappear from the history of the martial world without leaving a trace. From today onward, anyone who has learned the Tanghyeon Sect’s martial arts will become a public enemy of the Alliance. So surrender.”
When my long speech ended, the anger of the Tanghyeon Sect’s disciples reached its peak.
Even a young disciple who had once admired the Dragon-Phoenix Association and received their seal impression ground their teeth as they drew a sword.
“What did our Tanghyeon Sect ever do wrong…?!”
“Are we not the Tanghyeon Sect, one of the One Hundred Eight Peaks?!”
“Subdue the Dragon-Phoenix Association at once and report their brutality to the Martial Alliance!”
Anger spread from person to person, becoming public outrage.
That outrage became the fuse that signaled the beginning of battle.
Shing shing shing shing!
The moment a Tanghyeon Sect disciple with a drawn sword leaped forward…
“Stop!!!!”
Sang Jayang’s thunderous Lion’s Roar shook the entire Tanghyeon Sect.
“…General Steward, why are you stopping us?”
“Should we not strike down those shameless bastards at once?”
“……”
Sang Jayang did not answer their questions. The General Steward continued staring at me.
Then…
“Do you truly… truly mean you can do that?”
Sang Jayang’s knees crumpled to the ground.
“…!”
“…?!”
Confusion and agitation filled the faces of the Tanghyeon Sect’s disciples at Sang Jayang’s behavior, as though the General Steward had received some great favor.
“Blood Man Art is not included among the Ten Great Forbidden Arts. There is still a chance for the sect to survive.”
It was a vague statement, but Sang Jayang nodded as though that alone was enough.
“Everyone, drop your weapons!”
“What?”
“General Steward, what do you mean?!”
“They are the ones who tried to assassinate the Sect Leader…!”
“Everyone!!”
Sang Jayang’s roar swallowed the protesting voices of the Tanghyeon Sect disciples once more.
“Did I not tell you to drop your weapons?!”
Still, the Tanghyeon Sect disciples did not move easily.
Some even ignored the General Steward’s words and tried to step forward, as if the General Steward had made some terrible mistake.
As the hair-trigger tension continued, the Dragon-Phoenix Association finally drew their own weapons and raised their internal energy.
Brilliant inner force wrapped around each weapon, and just as they reached the point of no return…
“Everyone… drop your weapons.”
Tanghyeon Sect Leader Mak Hyowol walked out from behind them.
“Sect Leader…!”
“Are you all right?!”
“What is going on?!”
In that brief span of time, Mak Hyowol had aged as though they had lived through ten years.
“Everyone, drop your weapons.”
“But… they…!”
“This is the only way I can protect you…”
Mak Hyowol’s calm, tearful voice settled over the surroundings.
“It is my final order as Sect Leader.”
Mak Hyowol’s weary shoulders looked smaller than ever.
Thud. Clatter.
After both General Steward Sang Jayang and Sect Leader Mak Hyowol said so, those who sensed something was wrong began tossing their weapons onto the ground one by one.
Approximately five hundred weapons rolled across the ground all at once, making it feel as though thunder had struck.
Among the confused disciples, a few people who seemed to understand what had happened began shedding tears.
As the confusion deepened, several people followed Sang Jayang and fell to their knees.
They were the people I had seen switching captives.
“Why… did you show us such mercy?”
Mak Hyowol seemed to know I had other choices.
I looked down at Mak Hyowol with the same eyes I had yesterday.
“Did I not tell you? I understand.”
Mak Hyowol’s lips finally opened after a long pause, as if carefully choosing what to say.
“…Thank you.”
It was not something a Sect Leader who had lost their sect should say to the person who had erased it.
I looked at Mak Hyowol again.
On Mak Hyowol’s face, where death was certain…
There was only sorrow and concern for the disciples.
[1] Ilgak: A traditional time unit equal to about fifteen minutes.
Footnotes:
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