Chapter 172
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 172.
<Night of Death> Event.
The cult had planted devices deep underground in Busan to summon Thanatos.
And by activating the magic circle using those devices, an enormous number of undead would be spawned as a result.
‘But that’s not all.’
The magic circle also had the effect of draining the life force of people within its range.
Because of that, the people of Busan were dying, and those who died would turn into undead…
It was an event that created a vicious cycle.
‘I did my best to interfere, though.’
The latter effect—the one that drained people’s life force—had likely been significantly weakened.
Vincent had hastily prepared the plan, so there were bound to be shortcomings.
Still, it wasn’t something that could be left alone.
“How’s the situation inside the cult?”
“A mess. Vivianne… That woman gathered her followers and formed a faction. That faction clashed with the cult, leading to a battle……”
“You’re the one who set that up, yet you’re talking like it’s someone else’s problem.”
“Hmm.”
Vivianne had intended to lay low until things settled down, but Min Yi-jae and the intelligence division interfered.
They relentlessly tracked her down, pinpointed her location, and leaked it to Vincent.
On top of that, Min Yi-jae spread various fabricated intel to sow discord within the cult.
“The result?”
“The cult has the upper hand. A significant portion of Vivianne’s faction has been killed… They’re backed into a corner.”
Yoo Baek-jun tapped the desk with his fingers.
“How about extending a helping hand to those backed into a corner?”
“Are you trying to recruit Vivianne? Do you remember the saying about saving a drowning person only to demand their belongings in return……?”
“Of course I do.”
Min Yi-jae didn’t seem too pleased.
“Vivianne must be feeling incredibly wronged right now. She’s probably furious that Vincent wouldn’t listen to her. In that situation, she might be willing to cooperate against a common enemy.”
However, that alliance wouldn’t last forever.
Because—
“Once everything’s over, we’ll deal with Vivianne too. There’s no need to keep her alive.”
“…Hmm.”
She was someone who had committed all sorts of atrocities alongside Vincent, so there was no intention of letting her live.
Min Yi-jae reluctantly nodded.
“Find a way for me to meet Vivianne.”
“I’ll do that.”
Min Yi-jae left the room.
Left alone, Yoo Baek-jun looked up at the ceiling.
“Time to get to work……”
* * *
A high-rise building in Busan.
From a building where the surrounding scenery was clearly visible, Vincent looked down below.
“…….”
A perfectly peaceful landscape.
Vincent knew better than anyone that this peace wouldn’t last much longer.
“Sir Vincent.”
“The status of the magic circle?”
Park Cheong-mun approached him.
Vincent spoke without turning around.
“It’s still unstable. A significant portion of the intended effects… likely won’t be achievable.”
“What about the undead?”
“We’ve focused all efforts on that function. With Lord Thanatos’ power, we’ll be able to summon a massive number of undead.”
“That’s enough.”
Vincent closed his eyes.
The plan had deviated far from what was originally intended. If things had gone as planned, they wouldn’t have had to execute it so hastily.
If only there hadn’t been a traitor.
“The traitor… Vivianne?”
“Most of the traitors who followed Vivianne have been dealt with. Vivianne has lost the majority of her forces and is on the run.”
“That woman must also be killed.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Jerome had died by Vivianne’s hand.
They had already secured enough necromancers for their goal, but losing a talent like Jerome was an excruciating loss.
Especially now, with the plan so close to execution.
“To think there’d be a traitor among us……”
“It seems she collaborated with the Hunters to destroy the cult from within. According to recent intel, that’s the case.”
“I don’t understand why.”
He had high hopes for Vivianne.
Though she was impulsive, violent, and enjoyed slaughter, he thought that very nature would be of great help in the summoning ritual of Thanatos.
He believed she would be a steadfast vanguard, yet she suddenly betrayed them.
“The reason?”
“I don’t know. She refuses to cooperate with us. She killed all the pursuers……”
“…It can’t be helped.”
Vivianne had completely turned against them.
The reason was unknown, but that was the reality now—an undeniable truth.
“Drive her away as far as possible so she doesn’t interfere with the summoning ritual. Once it’s over, I’ll kill her myself.”
“Yes, Sir Vincent. And… What about the sponsors? There have been many inquiries recently.”
“…….”
The sponsors.
Those who provided the funds and personnel necessary for the Cult of Resurrection to carry out their grand plan.
But they were no longer needed.
“Summon them all here. Tell them the time has come to grant the wishes they desired.”
“Originally, you planned to turn those who sought immortality into demons, didn’t you? That……”
“It’s no longer possible.”
A faint smile appeared on Vincent’s lips.
“Then we have no choice but to change the plan. We’ll deal with them all before they become a nuisance.”
“…Understood, Sir Vincent.”
Park Cheong-mun bowed and left. Alone, Vincent’s unfocused gaze stared straight ahead.
“We must summon Lord Thanatos at all costs. If we accomplish that, our wishes will be fulfilled.”
Vincent stood on the wide terrace.
Though spring had passed and summer was approaching, the evenings were still chilly.
A cold wind tousled his hair.
“Not much longer now……”
Vincent muttered as he looked up at the sky.
“The day I’ll see you and our child again.”
* * *
At the same time.
A woman was wandering through the darkness.
“Ugh, kuh… Grr!”
A woman with a muscular, imposing build. And wounds covering her entire body.
Bleeding profusely as she fled, Vivianne spat out curses.
“Damn it, Vincent… That bastard!”
After glancing around to confirm no one was nearby, Vivianne slumped to the ground.
The blood pooling beneath her soaked the earth.
‘Where is this?’
The surroundings appeared to be an abandoned amusement park.
She had fled blindly to escape her pursuers, and it seemed to be a restricted area.
A gate blocked the entrance.
Looking at the neglected amusement rides, she felt an odd sense of familiarity.
“They kinda look like me right now. Hah!”
Wasn’t it just like her—used and discarded by Vincent?
Of course, the root cause was her swinging her weapon at Jerome and cutting down cultists without hesitation.
But she had already forgotten about that.
‘This is someone’s scheme! That idiot Vincent can’t even see that and is trying to kill me!’
She had tried to capture pursuers multiple times to explain herself, but it never worked.
The pursuers were solely intent on killing her, with no interest in talking.
‘As if someone is…’
Deliberately making things worse.
Vivianne sighed and tried to stand up. But then, she heard a sound.
Rustle—
The sound of leaves being stepped on.
“Who’s there?!”
Vivianne glared in the direction of the noise. A dark figure stood there.
The figure took a step forward.
“Vivianne, right?”
“What the hell do you want?!”
Clang!
Without hesitation, Vivianne swung her greatsword and attacked while the man in the darkness blocked the attack.
“You’re rough. Not even willing to listen?”
“You’re obviously one of Vincent’s pursuers. You’re gonna die here like the rest!”
“I’m not a pursuer.”
Vivianne continued her assault, but the man smoothly deflected each strike.
“I came to make you an offer.”
“I don’t wanna hear any damn—!”
Just as she spoke—
The man stretched out both hands, and a blast of cold struck Vivianne.
Crack!
Her feet instantly froze to the ground.
“……!”
For a moment, Vivianne was immobilized.
She tried to break free by sheer force, but—
The man moved even faster.
“Guh!”
A bone-chilling cold stiffened her body. The freezing sensation was unnaturally intense.
The man slowly approached Vivianne.
“Willing to listen now?”
“You…!”
The man revealed himself.
Yoo Baek-jun.
“It’s an offer you can’t refuse.”
He smiled softly.
* * *
“I’m innocent! I didn’t do anything!”
“Sure, sure, whatever you say.”
After calming Vivianne down, Yoo Baek-jun decided to talk in a quieter place.
However, the conversation… wasn’t going smoothly.
“Young master, she’s like a dumb gorilla.”
“Hey, she might hear you.”
Vivianne kept insisting on her innocence.
Well, since Yoo Baek-jun and Min Yi-jae were the ones who orchestrated everything, she technically was innocent.
Of course, if she hadn’t been so quick to resort to violence in the first place, none of this would’ve happened.
“Damn it, those bastards wouldn’t even listen to me! They just wanted to kill me!”
“Must’ve been tough. Were you chased the whole time?”
“Yeah! All my followers are dead……”
That was Min Yi-jae’s doing.
Vincent had naturally tried to talk to Vivianne at first.
To him, she was too valuable a piece to discard easily.
If they had talked, their misunderstanding would’ve been resolved, complicating things.
‘So Min Yi-jae interfered.’
Disguising themselves as pursuers, Min Yi-jae and the intelligence division hounded Vivianne relentlessly.
The result was a resounding success—
Vivianne was completely cornered.
“Hey, Vivianne.”
What he had to do now was simple.
Give her an offer she can’t refuse.
“Don’t you want revenge on Vincent?”
“Of course I do!”
“I might be able to help with that. I’ve got my own score to settle with Vincent.”
“…….”
Vivianne stared intently at Yoo Baek-jun.
“I’ve heard your name before. Yoo Baek-jun… Vincent mentioned a prominent sponsor making large contributions recently. That was you?.”
“You’re well-informed. Yeah, that’s me.”
“I’m not the sharpest, but I know something’s off about this situation.”
Though she relied more on instinct than reason, she wasn’t completely thoughtless.
Vivianne pointed at Yoo Baek-jun.
“Why would someone who willingly sponsored Vincent turn against him? What’s your goal?”
“Curious about that?”
“I can’t stand not knowing!”
Vivianne exhaled sharply through her nose.
“You were a core member of the cult, so you must know its purpose.”
“…….”
“The summoning ritual for Thanatos is coming soon, and I want to stop it. My sponsorship of the Cult of Resurrection was always for that purpose.”
“Hah! So you never intended to support them sincerely from the start! That fool Vincent got played!”
Han Seong-ah, standing nearby, gave Yoo Baek-jun a worried look. Revealing this might make Vivianne change her mind.
But it was an unnecessary concern.
“Good! Now that I know your goal, that’s enough. So your goal is to stop the ritual, and you’re offering to help me for that, right? Correct?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
“Vincent……”
Vivianne slammed her fists into the ground.
“If I can split that bastard’s skull in half, I’ll do anything! If that’s possible, I’ll accept any offer. Speak!”
“Good, then……”
A smile crept onto Yoo Baek-jun’s lips.
The reason he revealed his goal was because he knew she wouldn’t refuse.
“I’ll send people with you. Go to Busan and wait with them.”
“Busan? Where the summoning ritual will take place.”
“Vincent will soon gather the sponsors. I’ll take you with me then. There……”
Vivianne’s expression brightened.
“I’ll set the stage for you to run wild to your heart’s content.”
It was the offer she had been waiting for.