The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Chapter 77

[ … words ]

***

Autumn forest fires were not something unfamiliar.

Especially after experiencing a summer drought, when autumn leaves piled up thickly on the mountains, a forest fire would often start with just a little bit of wind.

To prevent this, people in nearby villages would prepare firewood for winter in advance, and they would build wooden channels to keep the flames from spreading widely.

“But Ssangmak-chae did not allow the villagers to climb the mountain.”

For bandits to hide their bodies, there was nothing better than a dense forest.

For this purpose, Ssangmak-chae did not allow logging, nor did they allow the collection of medicinal herbs, and that densely packed, dried-out forest was now, far from hiding the bastards, gripping their very throats.

The moment the bandits, who were rushing down the mountain furiously, hesitated at the pits of fire that exploded instantly due to the oil, the flames spread even further in all directions.

The group of over a thousand people tried to turn back up the uphill path, but that was even more difficult.

“Argh!”

“Move!”

“It’s hot!”

The procession quickly collapsed as they tangled and fell over each other.

The bandits who tried to escape by leaving the path and running along the mountain were swallowed by the raging flames, and because they could not endure the heat and rolled in all directions, the forest fire spread even more easily.

“This is absurd.”

Eun-ho stared blankly at the sky, which was pitch-black and full of smoke.

The strong wind quickly pushed away the black smoke, but thanks to that, the flames burned even more fiercely, as if they had eaten a spiritual medicine.

Although all thousand of them had learned martial arts, there was a clear difference in their achievements within that group.

Those with low internal energy could not hold their breath and, after inhaling the smoke, began to faint shortly after.

“So-un-nim, were you anticipating that the wind would come?”

Yang Gun-baek asked while brushing back his hair because of the swirling wind, and I drew the Black Dragon Sword without any special answer.

“Get ready.”

In my words, the three brothers drew their swords one by one.

“You cannot escape toward the mountain because of the flames. But the path where the oil was poured will burn downward.”

“We will go too.”

Yang Gun-baek stepped forward with the Haomun members.

“You must strike while they are in a daze after having come through the flames.”

No sooner had my words ended than a massive sound of air being torn apart was heard.

Kwa-gwa-gwang.

Geum-myeon-bul-do and Dok-an-hyeol-bu had combined their attacks to gouge the ground and scatter mounds of dirt in all directions.

“The flames have weakened! Get through as fast as you can!”

Along with a booming voice, the bandits who were looking for an escape route began to pour onto the path.

Those who had their clothes caught on fire in the middle tried desperately to put out the flames, only to be trampled to death by the bandits running from behind.

Jjeo-jeo-jeok!

The giant trees that had not been cut down in order to ambush both sides of the road caught fire and fell onto the path.

“Argh!”

“A-avoid it!”

“Save me!”

In the end, the bandits who gave up on following the two Chae-jus began to run along other paths over the mountain.

Even while the bandits were scattering in all directions, Geum-myeon-bul-do and Dok-an-hyeol-bu did not have the capacity to lead them.

Because to clear a path, the two of them had to scatter dirt in all directions with their combined attacks once again.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang.

As their fierce internal energy was scattered in all directions, soil and rock chunks flew everywhere, suppressing the flames to some extent.

After the two of them passed by, the bandits who followed behind were burned to death.

“Damn it all!!!”

Geum-myeon-bul-do, whose poison had risen to the peak due to the repeated deaths, did not even care about Dok-an-hyeol-bu and began to leap down by unleashing his movement techniques to the extreme.

“Listen carefully.”

“Suddenly?”

“If they survive, the tragedy of the village will repeat itself.”

“……Yes.”

“Just remember the scene you saw at the hill.”

It was a command not to show any mercy.

The three brothers firmly clenched their teeth, as if they understood my words.

“Let’s go!”

With my shout, the three brothers and Yang Gun-baek’s group began to run.

Unlike their initial appearance, when they were afraid of the bandits’ might, they now looked full of courage.

“Jin So-un!”

Geum-myeon-bul-do, who had been charging like a wild boar with its tail on fire, discovered me and increased his speed even further as he ran.

I also stepped on the Cheonha-dokhaeng-shin and increased my speed to confront Geum-myeon-bul-do.

Pung.

“I’ll kill you!”

The moment he tried to swing the grand saber imbued with saber energy to split my head, I unfolded the Lotus Flower (Yeon-hwa) and threw Geum-myeon-bul-do into the pit of fire.

Peo-peo-peok!

Geum-myeon-bul-do, making a thunderous sound that one could not believe was made by a human body, broke several trees and crashed into the fire.

“Argh!”

Meanwhile, I unfolded the Socheon Sword Art’s Break-Through Style and began to cut down the bandits who had run out to catch their breath.

“S-save……!”

“Keuheok!”

The sword style targeting vital points sprayed blood in all directions, causing even more chaos.

Taking one life with every single move, bandits began to die every time the sword was swung without hesitation.

Although their comrades were dying like that, the bandits could not stop their feet.

Because their breath, which had already reached their chins, paralyzed their reason, making them run endlessly, and if they fell, it only forced them to move forward even if they had to crawl.

Kwang!

In the midst of swinging my sword frantically, I was pushed back by two steps due to a massive shock that suddenly struck.

When I raised my head, Dok-an-hyeol-bu was emitting a thick murderous intent.

“You are a very audacious fellow.”

“How is this junior’s move?”

“You made the wrong choice!”

Kwang. Kwang. Kwang. Kwang. Kwang. Kwang.

Every time the Blood Axe and the Black Dragon Sword collided, the sound of the impact spread in all directions.

The bandits who had been rushing in like madmen also sensed the danger and turned to the side to avoid them.

Having withdrawn the Socheon Sword Art’s Break-Through Style, I immediately began to unfold the Ssangcheon Sword Melody.

The Black Dragon Sword began to create phantoms as if a folding fan were spreading, and it shot out targeting vital points.

“You rascal! You were hiding your skills!”

The only remaining eye of Dok-an-hyeol-bu shot out fire.

His blood axe sometimes stirred the empty air while trying to hit the phantom sword, and sometimes, by coincidence, it hit the real sword, blocking the attack.

However, thanks to the internal energy being used to block the flames and the subordinates constantly pushing from behind, his hands were becoming infinitely more complicated.

“You rascal!”

A lion’s roar burst out from within the pit of fire, and a pitch-black, charred Geum-myeon-bul-do popped out.

“I will peel your flesh and bones and chew them all up!”

I stepped back two steps and began to unleash the Manhae-cheonji-geom-gyeol.

<><><>

The three brothers—Geum, Eun, and Dong—had not been able to come to their senses since the fight began.

They created a sword formation and faced the enemy, but the enemies did not even think of avoiding or blocking the swords extended by the three brothers; they only wanted to run into the flames like madmen.

“Eun-ho! Dong-ryong! Keep the sword formation! Nothing else is needed!”

“Hyung! There are too many!”

“Just keep the sword formation! Then…… then…….”

Geum-pyo felt like he had to say something, but he did not know what to say.

Would this battle have an end? How long did they have to fight?

Even if the opponent was running away in a panic because of the flames, could they truly handle them with just themselves?

It was clear that the martial arts of the two Chae-jus of Ssangmak-chae were at a level they could not touch.

“Then what!”

As Eun-ho shouted, Geum-pyo, who had snapped to his senses, just blabbered whatever came to mind.

“Daesa-hyeong will come! If we were going to die, would Daesa-hyeong have started the battle?”

“Isn’t that Daesa-hyeong thinking of us too much by his own standards?”

There was no answer to that.

From the beginning, receiving the mission to conquer the bandit camp, the very thought of conquering the most powerful force among the Green Forest’s Seventy-Two Camps was already far from ordinary.

“Keuheok!”

“Argh!”

“D-damn it…….”

While they had lost their focus for a moment, the sound of bandits dying from the side was heard. When he turned his head, Dong-ryong was dealing with the bandits with a sword style he had never seen before.

All the forms were ones they had learned at Tae-eul-mun, but the trajectory itself was different. It was so fierce, as if it were following the most efficient sword path for murder.

Moreover, even though they were maintaining a sword formation, they felt chilled to the bone due to the murderous intent emanating from Dong-ryong.

“Damn it!”

Geum-pyo, who made eye contact with Eun-ho along with a curse, nodded his head.

The expression of Eun-ho, who knew what state Dong-ryong was in, was also not good.

The Heavenly Killing Star (Cheonsal-seong) is a nature that craves blood.

As Daesa-hyeong said, if the Heavenly Killing Star blossomed before Dong-ryong’s heart cultivation deepened, a big problem would occur.

“Hyung!”

“Yeah!”

They didn’t speak, but the thoughts of Geum-pyo and Eun-ho were already connected.

“Argh!”

“Keuheok!”

The number of bandits falling to the two men’s swords began to increase, and Dong-ryong’s murderous intent was also slowly decreasing.

“Hyung! There are too many enemies!”

Thanks to their energy circulation, their internal energy was barely being maintained, but the number of bandits who were still alive was high.

Moreover, those who had slowly come to their senses were avoiding the three brothers and going around, or taking a defensive stance to buy time.

The fifty Haomun members were guarding the well to stop the bandits from coming, but the number of bandits was so large that they were gradually being surrounded.

Moreover, they could not hope for Jin So-un’s help, as Jin So-un was dealing with Geum-myeon-bul-do and Dok-an-hyeol-bu at the entrance of the mountain, while cutting down the fleeing bandits.

At this rate, they could die before Jin So-un came.

“Keep your wits about you! Just think about the enemy in front of you right now!”

Geum-pyo shouted desperately and swung his sword.

Just then, a lot of dust began to rise from outside the village, and the sound of shouts began to be heard.

“Let’s go!”

“Uwaaaa!”

It was Village Chief Heo and the villagers who had fled the scene, starting to run toward them holding farming tools.

“Save the children first!”

“Don’t leave the exhausted bastards alive!”

Not only sickles and hoes, but even people with axes and sharpened bamboo.

Those who had never learned martial arts at all began to approach the exhausted bandits and cruelly use their hands.

“S-save me!”

“Because of you, my son starved to death!”

“Have you forgotten that you defiled my younger sister!”

“Kill them!”

The hands of the people filled with resentment were as fierce as those who had learned martial arts all their lives.

<><><>

Chae-chae-chae-chae-chaeng.

Peo-peo-peo-peo-pung!

The sword shapes extending from the Manhae-cheonji-geom-gyeol swept the surroundings, cutting the throats of the bandits and dealing with Geum-myeon-bul-do and Dok-an-hyeol-bu.

Although the two of them were already covered in wounds, dealing with two people who had reached the peak realm at the same time was still too much for me.

If it weren’t for the Manhae-cheonji-geom-gyeol and Manhwa-mujeok-gwon, which produce the same effect as dealing with more than one enemy with the profound principle of ten thousand (Man), it was a situation where I couldn’t even dream of holding out.

“Kill! Kill! I will definitely kill you!”

“Die!”

Moreover, Geum-myeon-bul-do and Dok-an-hyeol-bu were disregarding defense, only narrowly avoiding vital points, and rushing in without hesitation, making it even more difficult to deal with them.

“Even if I die, I will definitely take you with me!”

“I have no intention of going with you.”

“Hmph!”

Peo-peo-peo-peo-pung!

The saber energy spread in all directions, causing explosions without distinguishing between friend or foe.

The bandits dying to Geum-myeon-bul-do’s saber energy looked at Geum-myeon-bul-do with eyes full of betrayal, but Geum-myeon-bul-do did not care and just kept throwing saber energy toward me.

“Your movement technique is quite excellent!”

Dok-an-hyeol-bu said, grinding his teeth toward me, who could not be caught.

“It is because it was created by the two best people of the past and present.”

“Yes, how resentful it must be to die at our hands while possessing such good martial arts.”

“I will say it again, I have no intention of dying at the hands of you two.”

“That is not for you to decide. It is for us to decide.”

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

As the blood axe was swung, chunks of wood imbued with flames were shot out like hidden weapons.

The moment I unfolded the Tae-eul-pal-man-shin-bo and narrowly dodged the wood, Geum-myeon-bul-do swung his grand saber.

At this rate, I would inevitably be the first to get exhausted.

“This is the end!”

“Haat!”

I also raised the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong to full power, unfolded the Manhwa-mujeok-gwon, and lifted my body into the air.

And the moment Dok-an-hyeol-bu and Geum-myeon-bul-do were about to swing their weapons at me!

Swa-ae-aek. Peopeok!

“Heeek!”

“Damn it!”

A rock the size of a house flew at the two men, and they dodged it in a panic.

I landed on the ground and looked back as I spoke.

“Why are you so late?”

“You are the one who sent me to the other side in the first place.”

“I thought you would know how to do this much with some tact.”

It was Bang Du-chil and his group, who had run along the path while dealing with the bandits who had fled to the other side in that short time.

“If you are tired, rest. I will do the rest.”

A look quite different from the one that had constantly doubted my strategy and shown hostility.

“It is fine. I have to go help the Sajes.”

“Then finish it quickly and go.”

At the conversation between the two of us, the faces of Geum-myeon-bul-do and Dok-an-hyeol-bu turned beet red.

“These damn bastards!”

“Where do you brats dare to!”

As if knowing that they should not drag it out for long, Bang Du-chil immediately gathered his palms and raised his internal energy.

His martial arts uniform puffed up as if it were about to burst, and a powerful aura of energy burst out.

‘As expected of the Cheongang-mugeuk-che!’

Dok-an-hyeol-bu was aghast at the aura he was feeling for the first time in his life.

“What kind of internal energy is……!”

The moment Dok-an-hyeol-bu, who was rushing in, kicked off the ground and tried to change direction to run away, along with the movement of the airflow that rang the atmosphere, his unique martial art, the Jilpung-shin-jang (Gale Palm), poured out from Bang Du-chil’s two palms.

Ppeo-eo-eo-eo-eong!

The Jilpung-shin-jang, which caused the air to burst in succession and even extinguished the burning flames for a moment, turned every bone in Dok-an-hyeol-bu’s body into powder.

“Crazy…….”

Geum-myeon-bul-do, who was rushing at me, had his mouth wide open.

“This is not the time to look there.”

I also shot the Gwangcheon-shin-jang (Light Stream Palm) at Geum-myeon-bul-do.

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pang!

Geum-myeon-bul-do hurriedly changed direction, but he could not escape from the Gwangcheon-shin-jang, which had raised its range to the maximum.

At the same time as the air and flames burst, Geum-myeon-bul-do’s body burst.

Hwi-ing.

In the space where the air had disappeared in an instant due to the effects of the Jilpung-shin-jang and Gwangcheon-shin-jang, even the flames died down.

“…….”

And inside that, Bang Du-chil was looking at me with his eyebrows trembling.

“Why are you like that?”

“…….”

Instead of Bang Du-chil, who did not answer, Baek So-ryeong, who had been swinging her soft sword in the back, approached.

“This is the first time I have seen someone with stronger internal energy than Gaga.”

It seemed that was the reason Bang Du-chil was surprised.

Perhaps he had never seen anyone among his peers with stronger internal energy than himself in his life.

“You really…… dealt with Ssangmak-chae. And relatively easily at that.”

Forest fires rose all over Cheonmok Mountain, and the corpses of bandits piled up like peaks beneath them. Although the number of remnants at the foot of the mountain was still large, now that the two Chae-jus had become lonely spirits, Ssangmak-chae was as good as finished.

“Thanks to you.”

When I lightly clasped my hands and expressed my gratitude, Baek So-ryeong and Bang Du-chil’s subordinates clasped their hands in return.

“…….”

While Bang Du-chil was standing blankly, looking at me as if I were a strange animal, he was elbowed once by Baek So-ryeong, then stumbled and clasped his hands.

“Sorry for doubting you.”

“That can happen. Anyway, it’s not over yet, is it? Let’s try to reap the beauty of the conclusion.”

“Good.”

Just as we were about to go down the mountain to deal with the remnants, Eun-ho, who should have been forming a sword formation at the foot of the mountain, came up to this side, panting.

“Daesa-hyeong! Something big has happened! Please save Dong-ryong!”

Before those words were finished, I gathered all the remaining internal energy I had and unfolded the Cheonha-dokhaeng-shin.