The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 174

Chapter 174
## Chapter 174. The Black Flame Dragon Who Devours a Sea of Blood (4)

As the night receded and the first rays of dawn attempted to pierce the horizon, the surrounding landscape remained choked by a terrifying, crimson haze.

“……Amitabha.”

Il-gak uttered the sacred prayer, though his expression lacked any Buddhist serenity as he glared at the swirling scarlet mist.

A massive surge of internal energy focused within his pressed palms.

Extending a single arm, he thrust his palm forward as though reshaping the air itself. A colossal manifestation of the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm materialized, seeking to repel the encroaching sorcery.

Though it was an intangible clash of ethereal forces, the collision between the radiant golden palm and the bloody atmosphere produced a sickening, tearing sound that echoed through the clearing.

RIIIIIP──

KYAAAAAAA───

As the anomalous red barrier rent asunder, a chorus of harrowing shrieks erupted, severely testing the monk’s mental fortitude.

Having spent decades in profound wall-facing meditation and vows of absolute silence, Il-gak believed he had achieved a respectable level of spiritual transcendence. He felt a deep surge of self-reproach for allowing his mind to be so easily disrupted by such standard malevolence.

‘How did we reach this catastrophic state…….’

A flood of uncharacteristic anxieties and regrets overwhelmed his thoughts.

Yet, it was not the ghastly wailing that truly unsteadied him.

It was the profound remorse over past warnings he had so casually dismissed.

More than that, it was self-loathing for his own complacency, having blindly assumed everything would resolve itself while refusing to acknowledge the looming danger.

‘They say that when remorse finally arrives, it is always too late…….’

Sweeping his gaze across the area, he saw numerous disciples from the Shaolin Temple and its secular branches gripping their temples, desperately chanting sacred texts.

They were fighting with everything they had to block out the unnatural resonance and the waking nightmares threatening to shatter their sanity.

At least their minds remained somewhat intact.

The accompanying members of the Diancang Sect and their own lay-followers were in far worse shape, convulsing on the ground with their eyes rolled back, foam spilling from their lips.

When he noticed that even Hye-seong, the brightest prospect of their generation, was huddled in agony alongside Myeonghyeon, a profound wave of despair settled over him. There was nothing left for him to do.

‘Has there ever been a more short-sighted fool than me?’

He had been given a clear warning.

It came the moment Jin So-un’s messenger bird arrived with his missive.

At that very moment, he should have given serious weight to the “perilous entity” Jin So-un had explicitly mentioned.

Even if Myeonghyeon and Hye-seong dismissed it with arrogance and fury, he should have remained steadfast.

If he lacked the authority to alter their course, he should have at least enforced an absolute state of readiness.

The penalty for dismissing those legitimate fears as mere distractions was unfolding right before his eyes.

“Amitabha…….”

Reciting the holy name offered no practical salvation.

Even so, trapped in this nightmare, the only action left to Il-gak was to empty his mind of distractions and repeat the mantra.

“Amitabha.”

Channeling the profound reserves of the Dharma Tendon-Changing Classic, he forced additional power into the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm.

A brilliant, divine radiance erupted outward, yet the malevolent crimson haze stood its ground, refusing to yield.

His inner reserves were nearly depleted, preventing him from expanding the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm any further. If he collapsed the technique now, everyone sheltering behind him would be defenseless.

Step, step, step, step.

The sudden, synchronized rhythm of disciplined marching echoed through the clearing.

Il-gak’s chest tightened with dread.

‘Surely it cannot be…….’

Parting the crimson mist, figures shrouded in deep, blood-colored vestments began to emerge in perfect synchronization.

The unnatural haze clung to them like a thick veil, obscuring their exact numbers from his sight.

‘Is this where my journey ends…….’

Throughout his entire life as a dedicated monk of the Shaolin Temple, Il-gak had never assumed he would be granted a peaceful death in his bed.

His current sorrow stemmed not from a desperate fear of dying, but from the realization that he had failed to properly manifest the spiritual truths he had unlocked.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG.

In unison, the crimson-clad killers unsheathed their massive broadswords.

Forced to choose between his own survival and the preservation of those behind him, Il-gak naturally chose to sacrifice himself.

“Amitabha…….”

The cultists advanced with measured, deliberate strides, like predators closing in to butcher a cornered beast.

As his executioners drew near without haste, Il-gak managed to maintain an Immovable Mind, yet he could not bear to keep his eyes open.

Any moment now, the icy bite of steel would sever his spine.

Just as that realization settled in.

BOOM! THUNK!

A thunderous explosion, akin to a bursting war drum, shattered the air.

Snapping his eyes open, Il-gak saw that the pristine marching formation of the blood-robed attackers had been utterly blown apart.

‘What could have caused this…….’

WHIZZ──

A sharp hiss of displaced air sliced past Il-gak’s head.

A sudden flash of heat grazed his prominent earlobe as a projectile streaked past his vision.

‘A shaft from a bow?’

The crimson-robed cultists reacted instantly, raising their massive blades and circulating their internal energy to deflect the oncoming projectile.

BOOM! THUNK!

The arrow, which by all laws of martial arts should have splintered against a blade infused with true qi, shattered the cultist’s defense, bored clean through his torso, and maintained its lethal trajectory.

The sheer, devastating force of the shot defied belief, even as a firsthand witness.

“Venerable Master, are you unharmed?”

“…….”

Turning his head, he met the bloodshot, strained gaze of Murong Jae-hwa, who was watching him with deep anxiety.

He was clearly the archer, a heavy bow still gripped tightly in his hand.

How had he managed to remain unaffected by the mind-altering Illusion Formation?

While Il-gak stared in bewilderment, the archer spoke again.

“Benefactor Jae-hwa……Target.”

“Ah! Venerable Master, you are bleeding from your ear…….”

Il-gak raised a hand to his head; his fingers came away wet with fresh blood from a minor laceration on his earlobe.

“Forgive me. The urgency of the moment left no time for precise calculation.”

“I-It is a trivial matter.”

Gazing toward the recovering cultists, Jae-hwa asserted, “I will hold the line for now. You must rouse the others, Venerable Master.”

“Rouse them? To what end should I awaken them?”

The opposition possessed terrifying dark arts, and their true numbers remained completely hidden.

Those whose spiritual centers had already crumbled under the weight of the sorcery were in no condition to mount a counter-offensive.

“We must evade their direct assault and hold our ground.”

“Hold our ground, you say……”

Studying Murong Jae-hwa’s exhausted countenance—his eyes heavily bloodshot from strain and his lips parched and bleeding—Il-gak was struck by a fresh wave of his own inadequacy.

Even if they managed to rally every soul present, a successful retreat seemed impossible.

The sheer volume of the enemy presence ensured their doom.

“……Forgive me, Benefactor Jae-hwa. This catastrophe is a result of my negligence.”

Hearing Il-gak’s defeatist confession, Murong Jae-hwa barked back with fierce intensity.

“Venerable Master! Cast off this despair. If you abandon hope now, what chance do the rest of us have?”

Witnessing Murong Jae-hwa cling so stubbornly to what seemed like a hopeless delusion only deepened Il-gak’s internal shame.

“Our only duty is to survive a little longer. If we can manage that, salvation is assured.”

“What gives you such certainty……”

Murong Jae-hwa’s expression was absolute and unyielding.

“Brother So-un will arrive.”

“So-un? You speak of Representative Jin So-un?”

They were entirely encircled by these mysterious, blood-drenched executioners.

The secondary and tertiary defensive lines had undoubtedly suffered the same fate.

No living warrior could hope to cleave through this nightmare to reach them.

Yet, Murong Jae-hwa’s conviction did not waver.

“Did his message not explicitly state that he would join us?”

“That is true…… but look around. This position is already utterly lost…….”

Though Il-gak argued with a face full of sorrowful skepticism, Jae-hwa cut him off with a sharp shake of his head.

“If Brother declared he would come, he will break through heaven and earth to get here!”

Murong Jae-hwa spat the words with the same repetitive fervor Il-gak reserved for his prayers.

The critical difference was that the young archer held absolute, unshakeable faith in his words, treating them as an absolute truth.

“…….”

Watching Murong Jae-hwa draw his bowstring once more, his gaze locked onto the advancing cultists with absolute certainty, Il-gak found himself unable to utter another prayer.

—

In my mind, I carefully mapped out the exact corridors the Corpse Mountain Blood Cult had utilized during my previous existence.

Simultaneously, I superimposed the paths currently taken by the Murim Academy squads in this present timeline.

The moment those two disparate maps aligned across time, the conclusion was grim.

‘Confound it…….’

The Vanguard Line was directly engaging the primary host of the Corpse Mountain Blood Cult.

Furthermore, a mobile detachment of the Cult would inevitably be reinforcing the perimeter along the very path I was currently tearing through.

Plunging directly into that sector was tantamount to drenching myself in oil and diving into a raging furnace.

My thoughts raced frantically.

‘I can no longer rely on the hospitality(?) of the Green Forest.’

I had already scraped through one disaster by exploiting the outposts of the Green Forest, so expecting further assistance from them would be downright shameless.

And I possessed far more honor than those thieving miscreants.

While I scrambled to devise a method to shatter the blockade ahead, Nam Hwa-seong chose that exact moment to break his silence.

“There is a matter I must understand.”

Did this idiot leave his sense of situational awareness back at the Nam family manor?

“At a time like this?”

“Yes. Right now.”

“You genuinely feel compelled to interrogate me in the middle of a life-or-death sprint?”

“I do.”

“You insufferable fool……温.”

He responded with a solemn nod, his face tighter and more rigid than I had ever seen it.

Fine, let’s get it over with.

“Ask away.”

“Murong Jae-hwa and Eun Seol-ran belong to entirely different lineages than yours. What drives you to risk everything for them?”

“What sort of absurd nonsense are you babbling?”

“You are fully aware of the reality, are you not? Against an opposition of this magnitude, they have likely already been……”

“What? You think they are already corpses?”

As if I had spoken his exact thought, Nam Hwa-seong offered a silent, grim nod.

To be fair, any rational martial artist would consider abandoning the mission at this stage the only logical choice.

“But I have not laid eyes on their bodies yet.”

“…… Ganz.”

“For all we know, they are fighting tooth and nail this very second, holding out for reinforcements.”

“……Is that not a delusion born of reckless optimism?”

“Until I see their lifeless forms with my own eyes, they remain among the living to me.”

Fixing my gaze on Nam Hwa-seong, I continued,

“And if they draw breath, it does not matter how deep the trap is—I am going to pull them out.”

“…….”

Nam Hwa-seong pressed further.

“……Simply because you consider them your people?”

“Do your legs not ache, you stubborn bastard? Do I need to pick up the pace?”

“Jin So-un!! I require a serious answer.”

“…….”

Seeing that his grueling ordeal thus far hadn’t broken his stubborn streak, I realized he possessed at least as much stubborn resilience as Go Tae from the Sojeong Squad.

Recognizing defeat in this argument, I gave him the unvarnished truth.

“Yes. Because they belong by my side.”

“…….”

Nam Hwa-seong’s expression remained clouded with incomprehension.

It made perfect sense that he couldn’t grasp it.

In truth, without a specific kind of past, understanding was impossible.

To comprehend this bond, one had to have known absolute, crushing isolation.

During the great conflict between the Righteous and Demonic factions, the Sojeong Squad possessed no allies to fall back on.

I experienced that exact same desolation after the complete annihilation of the Taeul Sect.

Because of that, when we were abandoned deep within hostile territory, the concept of a rescue force never even crossed our minds.

And we were far from the only ones.

Murong Jae-hwa endured that exact same isolation.

Eun Seol-ran suffered through it as well.

Every shadow warrior who bled for the Murim Alliance from the darkness operated in total, suffocating solitude.

I had been forced to watch them perish, entirely alone.

I refused to let history repeat itself.

“Because they are my people.”

So they never have to face the darkness alone.

So I never have to stand alone in the ashes again.

So that even if the martial world collapses under the Demonic Cult once more, I will not be left to tremble in isolation.

“I do not abandon those who stand with me to die in the dark.”

A profound quiet settled over us as we ran.

Finally, Nam Hwa-seong spoke, his tone heavy with emotion.

“Then why did you extend your hand to save me?”

This guy is truly unbelievable…….

“Are you begging me to toss you right back into that mind-shattering Illusion Formation……”

Nam Hwa-seong erupted in frustration.

“Give me an answer, Jin So-un! I was a liability you could have easily discarded. Why did you bother saving my life?”

What was driving him to get so defensive and alter the mood out of nowhere?

I studied his face intently.

Observing the raw, searching vulnerability in his eyes—as if he were desperate for validation—I had no choice but to offer the plain truth.

“Executing my commands means placing your survival entirely in my hands, does it not? As long as you obey my leadership, you are one of mine.”

“…….”

Hearing that, Nam Hwa-seong finally clamped his jaw shut, a profound solemnity washing over his face.

Directly ahead, the vanguard of the Blood Cult began to materialize through the mist.

“They have advanced this far already?”

Several of the crimson-clad cultists caught sight of our approach; shouts echoed through their ranks as weapons were drawn in a flurry of steel.

Even with the absolute perfection of the Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art to execute miraculous evasions, attempting to pierce that dense wall of blades would turn us into pin-cushions within seconds.

Ultimately, the tactical solution required one person to act as a chaotic distraction, while the other slipped through the gap under the cover of chaos……

‘Why does the Taeul True Scripture lack a technique for creating physical duplicates?’

While I indulged in that desperate bit of wishful thinking.

Nam Hwa-seong spoke up once more.

“Hand the supplies over to me.”

“……What nonsense are you uttering when your internal energy is practically depleted?”

“My only task is to transport it safely to Murong Jae-hwa, correct?”

Without waiting for consent, Nam Hwa-seong reached over and unbuckled the heavy pack from my shoulders.

“……What do you think you are doing?”

“Is it not obvious that one of us must create a breach through that wall of flesh?”

Nam Hwa-seong gestured directly toward the gathering Blood Cult detachment.

“It wounds my pride to admit it, but I lack the strength to stand and butcher those monsters right now, nor do I have the mental fortitude to resist their psychological sorcery. ……However, I can still run like a demon possessed to ensure these supplies reach Murong Jae-hwa.”

Had this arrogant noble suddenly lost his mind?

What was inspiring this sudden martyrdom?

“……Sprinting into that territory alone is suicide. In fact, you should assume your survival rate is practically zero. Are you truly prepared for that?”

Nam Hwa-seong grimaced fiercely, his voice steady.

“I will deliver this pack even if my corpse has to drag itself across the finish line.”

He gave a firm, resolute nod, cementing his vow.

I couldn’t fathom what had suddenly inspired him to sprint open-armed into the abyss, but we were entirely out of options.

In moments of crisis, even if an ally seems unstable, you have to place your chips on them and move forward.

I had regularly placed my life in the hands of the Sojeong Squad degenerates who routinely cheated at dice, so why should I doubt Nam Hwa-seong now?

“Very well. I will raise a hellish din to draw every eye to me.”

“Understood. We will reconvene on the other side.”

Feeling a genuine sense of respect for his willingness to take the ultimate risk, I decided to offer a bit of motivation.

“Manage to survive this encounter, and I will personally award you five sacred talismans.”

Nam Hwa-seong, who had already begun his forward sprint, shot a fierce glare over his shoulder and roared back mid-stride.

“You absolute scoundrel!”

He hurled the profanity with an immense surge of sudden adrenaline.

Did the prospect of acquiring those Demon-Subduing Talismans truly hold that much sway over him?

Turning on my heel, I sprinted in the exact opposite direction of his path.

“Listen up, you degenerate filth of the Blood Demon Sect! Turn your eyes over here! An elite, peerless master of the Orthodox Path is ripe for the taking!!”

It was time to orchestrate a magnificent catastrophe.