Chapter 185
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 185.
In the midst of horrific pain, Vincent tried to grasp what was happening.
‘Why?’
Even though he had been continuously giving commands to the Dead Dragon, why was there no response?
Why was the Dead Dragon he had summoned by borrowing Thanatos’ power now attacking him?
And,
‘Why is it obeying him?’
Why was the Dead Dragon obeying Yoo Baek-jun instead of him, its summoner?
Nothing made sense.
—ROOOAR!
“Ugh…!”
The deafening Dragon Roar pierced his ears.
Vincent groaned in agony.
“Wh-what the hell did you… do…?”
“What do you mean? I just stole your undead.”
“Th-that’s impossible…!”
“Yeah, it should be impossible.”
Yoo Baek-jun looked up at the Dead Dragon still roaring above him.
“But it worked?”
“…….”
Vincent exhaled roughly.
His body was in tatters.
A gaping wound pierced his abdomen, burns from the Thunder Dragon covered his entire body, and half of him had melted away from the Dragon’s Breath.
The Dead Dragon’s Breath carried a highly acidic property, making it fatal to the human body.
‘It’s a miracle he’s even still alive.’
For an ordinary person—no, even for a Hunter—these injuries would be fatal. Yet, he was still breathing.
Was it due to Vincent’s sheer willpower?
No, it was more accurate to say an unknown force was sustaining his life.
‘That bastard.’
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at the rift in the sky.
Beyond it, Thanatos was watching.
This was undoubtedly his doing.
—You… human. That power…
Thanatos’ voice echoed through the void.
It was the first time Yoo Baek-jun had heard him sound so panicked, despite having served him for so long.
—Why do you possess that power? How can a mere human wield a fragment of my divine authority?
Divine authority.
He was referring to the Successor of the Death King trait.
Dominance of undead summoned by another Necromancer was no ordinary ability.
This was one of Thanatos’ divine authorities.
Just like how he had granted Vincent the authority of immortality.
“What’s wrong? Feeling nostalgic? It’s the same authority you once gave to a certain man in the distant past.”
—…….
Thanatos fell silent.
—The Death King. So, the accursed blood of the Death King flows within you. Are you his descendant? No… he should have had no children.
In the distant past, the Death King, who had waged a great war in Halpeon, had received his power from Thanatos.
Thanatos had bestowed his authority upon the Death King, demanding that he bring chaos to Halpeon and offer countless souls and lives to him.
But the Death King…
‘He took the power and ran.’
All he wanted was to improve the treatment of the oppressed Necromancers.
He had no interest in sacrificing lives to Thanatos.
In the end, he rebelled against Thanatos and was defeated, meeting his demise.
—Hmph… Fine. I don’t know what happened, but I’ll hear it directly from you.
Thanatos looked at Vincent, who was on the verge of death.
Without the authority of immortality, Vincent would soon perish.
And that was not what Thanatos wanted.
—First, useless fool, disappear.
The moment Thanatos spoke, a violent explosion erupted.
The Dead Dragon’s body swelled grotesquely before bursting apart.
It was a dark magic spell—Corpse Explosion.
The Dead Dragon’s flesh and bones became deadly shrapnel, scattering across the rooftop.
“Tch!”
Yoo Baek-jun kicked off the ground and retreated, as if he had anticipated it.
But the explosion covered the entire rooftop, making it impossible to evade completely.
His body slammed into the ground.
—Rise, slave.
“Guh…! Ugh…! Aaargh!”
At Thanatos’ command, Vincent slowly rose to his feet.
It didn’t seem voluntary. His body was being forced up by an unknown power.
And then, his body began to change.
—You once told me. That you would never die until you saw your dead family again… that you would rise again even in death.
A dark laugh echoed.
—I’ll make sure you keep that promise.
“GAAAAAH!”
A horrific transformation overtook Vincent.
First, his flesh began to peel away. The agony of his skin tearing off while still alive was unbearable, and he screamed.
Crack, crack!
Even his skeletal frame mutated.
His blackened bones twisted grotesquely, growing larger and thicker.
A dense black mist seeped from his body, shrouding the surroundings.
—Serve me even in death.
“Lord Thanatos…! Yes! Yes, I will obey! It is an honor to serve you!”
Vincent was transforming.
From a human body to an undead one.
Fitting for the leader of fanatics, he seemed to embrace it with joy…
‘An S+ rank monster—Crypt Lord.’
A top-tier undead.
A monster on par with the Dead Dragon.
Realizing Vincent could no longer fight as a living being, Thanatos had forcibly turned him into an undead.
—You stay there and watch quietly.
Yoo Baek-jun slowly got to his feet.
Mocking him, Thanatos prepared to act against Yoo Baek-jun.
But before he could—
“I don’t think so.”
Yoo Baek-jun signaled the floating island. It was a prearranged signal to initiate their plan.
“Jin Seo-yeon!”
—We’re already in position and waiting.
A voice rang in his ear.
Then, light erupted from the floating island.
—Aaaaah…
—What is this…?!
The sound of a hymn filled the air—a hymn praising the divine.
It was sung by the Crimson Crusade’s priests.
In response, an angel with eight pairs of radiant wings appeared in the sky.
The angel raised its arms high.
KOOOOM!
A massive cross materialized in the sky.
As the angel swept its arms down, the colossal cross descended upon the rooftop where Yoo Baek-jun stood.
RUMBLE—!
A dome of light formed around the cross, enveloping the entire rooftop.
WHOOSH!
—KYAAAAH!
A blinding flash of light momentarily obscured everything.
Undead caught in the radiance writhed in agony as they burned away.
—Now.
Immediately after, Jin Seo-yeon and the mages channeled all their magic toward the rooftop.
They weren’t casting spells—just recklessly dumping raw magic onto the rooftop.
—What are you doing?!
Thanatos was baffled.
The intense divine power was unmistakable, but it couldn’t harm him.
Dumping magic without casting spells was beyond his comprehension.
—Foolish humans. What do you hope to achieve? Death is all that awaits you…
Thanatos’ mocking voice echoed.
—Don’t worry. Your souls will come to my realm and serve me faithfully…
Whatever they were attempting, it had no effect on him. The god from another world ignored the blinding light and tried to interfere with Yoo Baek-jun’s movements.
But it was impossible.
—No, the magic circle…!
The holy energy flooding the rooftop was far too weak to harm Thanatos.
But it was enough to destabilize the rift connecting him to this world, if only for a moment.
The overwhelming mix of divine power and Magic caused a brief disruption in the magic circle engraved on the rooftop.
As a result,
—…!
Thanatos momentarily lost his influence over this.
And Yoo Baek-jun didn’t waste that opening.
“Who waits for their enemy to finish transforming?”
His body, enveloped in Transcendent lightness, shot forward.
His target was singular—Vincent.
The distance between them closed in an instant.
“Yoo… Baek-jun…!”
Vincent glared at him with eyes full of hatred, his face twisted in pain.
“If it weren’t for you—!”
SHIIING!
Yoo Baek-jun swung his arms wide.
Each hand radiated a different energy—Heavenly Destruction and Iron-Cutting Fist.
“No one would’ve stopped my plans!”
Vincent roared in fury.
“Why?! Why are you getting in my way?! All I wanted was to see my family one more time…!”
“Getting in your way? I’m helping you.”
“What?”
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
His entire body was engulfed in divine flames.
“You’ll see them when you die!”
“Guh…! Hrk!”
His fist struck.
Vincent raised his arms to block, but the Iron-Cutting Fist shattered them.
Countless blades of energy tore through his limbs.
Then, his exposed abdomen.
BOOM!
KWAANG!
Heavenly Destruction struck his gut.
A massive explosion consumed Vincent.
Yoo Baek-jun drew his sword from subspace, pivoting on one foot to spin his body.
“Go meet them in hell!”
A single slash.
The blade, wrapped in energy, severed Vincent’s head. His horrified expression flew through the air before crashing to the ground.
WHOOSH!
Eyes filled with resentment locked onto Yoo Baek-jun. But only for a moment—the divine power covering the rooftop reduced his head to ashes.
“…….”
Vincent’s lips moved, but no words came out.
His head burned away completely.
And so did the rest of his body.
Roll…
Something tumbled out of the remains.
A small, orb-like object.
The core of the magic circle covering this rooftop—no, the entire city of Busan.
—No! My plan—!
At that moment, the rift stabilized.
Regaining his influence, Thanatos tried to act.
But Yoo Baek-jun was faster.
“Get lost back to your world.”
—Stop, human! No! My descent is so close! I’m finally about to break free from this prison—!
Where Vincent had stood.
Exactly at the center of the magic circle, Yoo Baek-jun stared at the core.
He pointed his sword at it.
—AAAAAH…!
And shattered it in one strike.
The rift in the sky began to close. Thanatos, who had been peering through it, let out a desperate scream.
—You… human…!
The magic circle on the ground cracked like shattered glass.
Undoubtedly, the magic circles beneath the building—underground—were breaking like dominoes.
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the closing rift.
—A mere human…! A worthless insect!
Thanatos stretched out his arm.
The closing rift forced it back.
—This… isn’t over. I will return. And we will meet again.
Thanatos spat a curse.
—I’ll be waiting for that day.
“What are you talking about? That day will be the day you die.”
Yoo Baek-jun scoffed.
Then, the rift closed. The overwhelming presence beyond it vanished.
Thanatos was gone.
“Whew….”
Yoo Baek-jun exhaled deeply.
Though Thanatos had disappeared, the undead remained. Many had survived the divine power, their bodies still burning.
“It’s hot… so hot. Is it already summer?”
But the same applied to him.
“Oh wait, I’m the one on fire….”
Thud.
He dropped to one knee.
His body, incompatible with divine power due to the Successor of the Death King trait.
The divine power had taken its toll on him too.
—Groooowl…
—Grrrr…
The undead approached him.
He could no longer use the Death King’s dominance.
What now?
After a brief moment of contemplation, Yoo Baek-jun looked up at the sky.
“Hey, you okay? You’re on fire.”
“Jin Seo-yeon, I’m dying…”
“What’s wrong with you? Disgusting.”
At that moment, Jin Seo-yeon descending from the sky had never looked more welcome.
Yoo Baek-jun sighed in relief.