◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 508: Into the Darkness (3)
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When a fierce battle broke out and I found myself buried in a crowd, I had to push forward as quickly as possible.
Whether a demonic being drunk on madness blocked my path, an Iron Zombie with a body like solid iron stood in the way after losing its mind, or an unidentifiable demonic beast wielding bizarre demonic arts swiped its claws at me.
Ironically, if I wanted to survive, if I wanted to extend my life by even one more day in this hell, I had to charge toward their blades, fangs, and claws.
If I turned back or stopped, I would die.
All I had was meager internal energy and a chipped iron sword, but even if I had to smash an egg against a rock, I had to break through.
That was the only way to live.
“Hold on!”
We were being pushed back.
The cave was fairly large, yet it still felt cramped amid the people falling, getting wounded, collapsing, and dying.
“Urgh!”
“Gah!”
I had no idea what was happening.
I had simply been swept into a place where people were tangled together, trying to kill one another.
The White Path was killing the White Path, and the Black Path was killing the Black Path, but there was no time to wonder why this was happening.
All I could do was keep myself from being swept away by the incoming crowd, just as I had in my previous life.
The difference was that I was no longer a meat shield with meager internal energy and a chipped iron sword.
“We’re moving forward.”
“Benefactor Jin… There are too many people!”
“We’re moving forward!”
“…”
I knew from experience.
Preparing and escaping would have been the best choice if we could have, but right now, our only way to survive was to move forward.
“Aaaah!”
When trapped in a crowd, you needed the most efficient movements possible.
I drew up my internal energy and unleashed the Lesser Heaven Sword Art.
Slaash!
A single swing severed arms and weapons, opening up space.
Four weapons stabbed through that gap.
Clang! Clang, clang!
Geumpyo blocked them, and I used Geumpyo as a shield as I circled around and pressed forward, swinging my sword.
Slaash!
“Urgh!”
“Aaagh!”
For the first time, the crowd recoiled, clutching their wounds in pain.
I didn’t miss the opening. To secure more space, I unleashed the Myriad Blossoms Invincible Fist.
Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam!
Around a dozen fist images burst forth.
The crowd retreated another couple of steps, but there was still nowhere near enough space.
‘Not enough.’
There was no doubt that the Myriad Blossoms Invincible Fist was an excellent martial art in a one-on-one duel or against three or four opponents. In a large-scale battle like this, though, its destructive power and efficiency fell short.
Hummm.
Boom, boom, boom!
Pouring in internal energy with brute force to increase its power was one option, but it still lacked the simple force needed to break through.
I had several miscellaneous fist arts in my head, but even if they were more efficient, none had greater destructive power than the Myriad Blossoms Invincible Fist. That only made the craving worse.
‘Still, I’ll think about that later.’
I pulled myself together again.
I could only reflect on what I lacked when things were peaceful.
Feeling frustrated now wouldn’t solve anything.
Slaash!
I thrust the Scarlet Radiance Sword through the scattered fist images.
The moment I drew it back, Geumpyo sprang forward to fill the empty space.
They had grown enough to maintain the sword formation almost by instinct.
When advancing against a crowd, one had to watch for attacks from the sides.
I looked at Dang Seohui, who was guarding my flank.
‘As expected…’
Her power truly lived up to the name White-Handed Divine Maiden.
No one entered within half a jang of her unscathed.
“Let’s go!”
The farther forward we went, the more people became tangled together.
The crowd was packed so tightly that they should have suffered from their bodies pressing against one another alone. Yet even then, they stabbed each other with blades and smashed each other’s heads, feeding the chaos.
“Aaaagh!”
About thirty feet away, some lunatic poured out sword qi like a waterfall.
‘That bastard!’
An attack that scraped out every last bit of internal energy in a place this cramped shoved people away in every direction, and the farther back the force traveled, the greater its impact became.
“It’s coming!”
As I moved forward, I drew up all my internal energy and blocked the crowd.
Scrape.
My feet carved into the hard stone floor as I barely held on, but Geumpyo couldn’t.
“Grrrgh!”
The wave of people that had barely been held back broke through in an instant. Just as our group was about to be swept away by it.
“…Amitabha.”
Ilgak’s palm, softly radiating golden qi force, stopped the crowd.
“Urgh!”
“Gaaah!”
The force we held back trapped people in the middle. Screams rose from everywhere as they crumpled and stopped breathing.
I began releasing even more violent, powerful force.
I radiated killing intent that even those who had lost their minds would fear and swung my sword without hesitation.
“Aaaah!”
Whenever blood flowed.
“Haaah!”
My blood boiled.
Vivid memories from my previous life awoke at the slightest stimulus, making my heart pound hard.
Slaash!
Slaash!
Sword qi cut without pause, gradually carving out a path.
“Monk! I’ll take your place!”
Geumpyo, now steady again, tried to move to the front.
“Amitabha. I will remain here.”
Ilgak glanced at me and held his position.
I cut down the bastards blocking our path and gave the order.
“Ilgak, move back.”
“…I can match Benefactor Jin’s pace better than Geumpyo can.”
“Those you knocked down are getting back up.”
Bam, bam, bam!
Energy clashes burst out with Ilgak’s every movement, sending groups of people sprawling.
The Black Path martial artists didn’t rise again, their broken ribs having pierced their lungs. Among the White Path martial artists, though, some woke after being knocked unconscious, while others endured the pain and attacked again.
That baldhead stood firm, like a stone Buddha.
“Do you know why I didn’t want to bring you here in the first place?”
“…”
A baldhead praised as an exceptional talent.
A baldhead whose skill I couldn’t deny.
But.
“There’s no need for the Buddha’s mercy here.”
There was no need for the compassionate Ilgak here.
“…”
Ilgak glared at me with wide eyes.
It felt like the first time since we had been hostile to each other at the Academy.
I wished we were back at the Academy. This place was…
“I have no intention of sending our people to the Buddha. So.”
This was a brutal hell, one that left no time even to look him in the eye.
“If you’re not going to do this properly, move back.”
That was why the compassionate Ilgak had no place here.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you moving back?”
“…”
Ilgak didn’t move back.
There were clearly many Black Path martial artists, but he couldn’t ignore the White Path martial artists mixed among them.
He probably wanted to shove me aside right then.
Slaash!
Compassion, sympathy, affection, and concern for others were among the most important human emotions.
But in a chaotic battle where life and death were tangled together, those emotions had to be cut away.
Especially when a companion showed that kind of righteous behavior, it made my insides twist.
It harmed not only the person acting that way, but everyone around them.
Slaash!
Sword qi spread out like the ribs of a fan and turned people into chunks of flesh in an instant.
Blood sprayed everywhere, and pieces of flesh flew in unpredictable directions like celebratory firecrackers.
We couldn’t advance despite fighting this fiercely because someone was still hesitating.
“Ilgak!”
I shouted at that frustrating bastard.
“Choose one! Either pretend you don’t see them at all, or do it properly! Otherwise…!”
Slaash!
An enemy sword barely grazed my sleeve.
The severed cloth drifted down to the ground.
“…Will you only come to your senses after one of us dies?”
“…!”
Ilgak stared at the ground for a moment, then pressed his palms together.
The air around him compressed.
Hummm.
His fist extended into the air, pushing the compressed air forward one layer at a time.
It grew as huge as Mount Tai, leaving the shape of an enormous fist in space itself.
Boom!
The Vajra Fist was unleashed perfectly, leaving the mark of a massive fist across the bodies of the densely packed people.
Ilgak pressed his palms together once more, then struck the air with his other hand.
Boom!
Another enormous fist mark was carved across their bodies.
Rumble!
It included not only Black Path martial artists, but White Path martial artists and people whose affiliations couldn’t be identified.
The moment Ilgak’s Vajra Fist opened a path, we threw ourselves into the gap with all our strength.
“Go!”
At my shout, Yuseong Hall began running at full speed and managed to escape from the center of the fighting to its outer edge.
“Senior Brother! There are pursuers behind us!”
Around a dozen people chased us, their eyes half-crazed.
For some reason, a strange mix of Black Path and White Path martial artists was pursuing us.
Just as I was about to throw myself at them without hesitation.
“…I’m not like someone.”
Dang Seohui appeared before them like a ghost and scattered something invisible through the air.
“Urgh!”
“Gah!”
Unable to stop their momentum, the pursuers crashed straight into the ground.
It didn’t even take an instant for all of them to collapse and twitch.
Dang Seohui looked down at them for a moment.
Then she walked over to us as if nothing had happened and added,
“I don’t hesitate like someone does.”
I didn’t need to ask who she meant.
“…”
Ilgak couldn’t lift his gaze and gave no reply.
Dang Seohui turned away from him.
“Can I have a tanghulu now?”
Only then did I understand why she had stepped in.
“…”
“I did well! I’ve earned one!”
#
Even after escaping the aftermath of the battle, we continued moving for quite some time.
Once we entered a quiet cave with few people around, we checked our injuries first.
Nam Hwaseong had been attacked from behind and had a wound on his back, but fortunately, we had an excellent physician with us.
“Hold still.”
“Aaargh, it hurts!”
Unable to endure the pain of having his wound stitched, Nam Hwaseong eventually had his paralysis acupoint struck by Dang Seohui. His body stiffened, and he couldn’t endure the pain, leaving his eyes bloodshot.
The moment Geumpyo realized they had no major injuries, Geumpyo hurriedly finished eating, struck their own paralysis acupoint, and fell asleep.
“…What the hell is that?”
Watching Geumpyo’s swift movements as if they were some strange creature, Yayul Geuk shook his head and began qi-regulating breathing nearby.
“Benefactor Jin…”
Ilgak sat apart from the group, his face pale.
Although he had acted that way, it seemed his heart hadn’t followed.
“Did you really have to go that far?”
“Do you know why they were fighting?”
“Why were they fighting?”
“I don’t know either.”
“…”
That wasn’t a lie. It was my first time entering the Sword Tomb as well.
“But I do know they weren’t in their right minds.”
Black Path and White Path martial artists were mixed together, fighting without distinguishing enemies from people on their own side.
That clearly showed this wasn’t a normal situation.
“And I know how dangerous half-hearted concern for others can be in that kind of mess.”
“But with your strength and mine, Benefactor Jin… Couldn’t we have escaped without going that far?”
Maybe we could have.
No, with Dang Seohui here, we probably could have.
Yes, perhaps that was true.
But I…
“D-Dang Senior! Aaargh!”
Nam Hwaseong’s scream echoed from a distance.
Hearing it, I renewed my resolve.
“What if he had died because of that?”
I would never lose those precious to me again.
“Would you still be able to call what you did righteous then?”
“…”
“You’re probably certain you won’t die. But you can’t be certain your companions won’t die. The Buddha’s teachings are good, and caring for others is good too. But don’t leave yourself with regrets because of a half-formed fragment of enlightenment. Besides, you aren’t a Shaolin Temple monk right now. You’re a temporary member of Yuseong Hall, so don’t forget your duty.”
Whether he accepted my words or not, Ilgak left without saying anything.
In a way, Ilgak’s dissatisfaction was natural.
As he said, even fighting our way through that battle might not have been especially difficult for us.
But I had deliberately pushed him.
Back when I had been a member of the Sojeong Unit in my previous life, I had often witnessed masters die on the battlefield.
Their confidence in their own strength and their history of living as the strong had led to moments of carelessness and irreversible deaths.
“Jin Sowoon.”
“It’s Hall Master Jin, Deputy Hall Master.”
“Hall Master Jin.”
“More precisely, Hall Master, sir.”
“I don’t feel like joking. There are people coming this way.”
Our fight hadn’t even truly begun yet.
“How many?”
“Five in total.”
“It’s almost as if they arranged it.”
“Is that strange?”
Our true enemies were the ones who gathered people through lies and deceived them into killing each other.
“Yes. Very strange.”
Bzzzz.
The Red Phoenix Bangle calmly informed me that those bastards were approaching.
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