Chapter 200
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 200.
“Wh-what are you doing here?”
The sudden appearance of Yoo Baek-jun left Lee Ja-yae utterly shocked.
“Why not? It’s near the family estate. Is there a reason I shouldn’t be here?”
“But you were supposed to be raiding the gate—”
“Yeah, my elder brother ordered it.”
Yoo Baek-jun shrugged his shoulders.
“Whether I follow his orders or not is up to me. Did you really think I’d blindly obey him? I’m not an idiot.”
“Kgh, ugh!”
Lee Ja-yae writhed at the blatant mockery. In response, the blade piercing her abdomen twisted sharply.
Blood gushed from the widening wound.
“Aaaagh!”
“So, Lee Ja-yae. How does it feel to have killed your own subordinates with your own hands?”
“Th-those damn traitors…!”
“Traitors? You mean the ones who were loyal to you.”
“……!”
Lee Ja-yae’s body stiffened.
The shock of his words momentarily overshadowed even the excruciating pain.
Because what he said implied that those she had killed were not traitors at all.
“Wh-what nonsense! I killed them because they were traitors!”
“Is that so?”
Yoo Baek-jun gestured to one of the corpses strewn across the floor.
It was Han Du-seon’s body.
“These weren’t traitors. They were the ones who remained loyal to you until the end.”
“Wh-what?”
“And you… fell for our scheme and killed your own subordinates.”
Lee Ja-yae trembled violently.
Her head slowly turned to look behind her. There, she saw the subordinates she had brought with her—those she had trusted.
“Not bad, right, Section Chief?”
“Jeon Soo-yeon….”
Jeon Soo-yeon smiled.
It was the same timid smile she always wore, but now it sent chills down Lee Ja-yae’s spine.
“Y-you… all of you….”
The pieces fell into place in Lee Ja-yae’s mind.
All the strange but seemingly insignificant incidents she had dismissed until now.
The unnatural rustling sounds and the words of those she had believed to be traitors moments ago.
Something hadn’t added up.
“There were quite a few people dissatisfied with you, Section Chief. We turned them to our side and manipulated the information.”
“So I was fooled?”
“Yes. Maybe it’s because you’ve been under pressure from Yoo Tae-rang lately, but it wasn’t as hard as we expected.”
Lee Ja-yae let out a hollow laugh. Jeon Soo-yeon walked toward her.
“Why? I never thought you had the guts to pull off something like this.”
“I was promised a position.”
Jeon Soo-yeon glanced at Yoo Baek-jun.
“Just like you always said, Section Chief, I chose a side for my promotion. I—”
Sshing—
Jeon Soo-yeon drew her sword.
“—am very ambitious.”
“I misjudged you.”
Lee Ja-yae gritted her teeth.
To think she had called someone like this “unambitious.”
Splat!
That was Lee Ja-yae’s last thought.
Jeon Soo-yeon flicked the blood off her blade.
“Is this the last of them?”
“No, there are still remnants of Lee Ja-yae’s faction in the intelligence division. I’ll take care of them all while we have the chance.”
“Good.”
They could hide Lee Ja-yae’s death for at least a day.
And that was all the time they needed.
“Now, my elder brother will make his move.”
Because Yoo Tae-rang’s rebellion was about to begin.
Yoo Baek-jun exhaled a cold breath.
“I’ll return through the underground passage. Contact me if there’s anything to report.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
There were still things to do—luring Yoo Tae-rang into complacency and exploiting it.
Yoo Baek-jun turned and walked away.
***
Late at night, Yoo Tae-rang’s swordsmen moved in secret, finalizing their preparations for the rebellion.
Meanwhile, Yoo Tae-rang, who had secretly imprisoned Ja-yeon, summoned Yoo Min to his estate.
“Yoo Min.”
“…Yes.”
“Sit there.”
Yoo Min cautiously opened the door and sat across from Yoo Tae-rang.
Her usually expressionless face was tinged with tension—she could sense the unusual atmosphere.
“Brother, why did you call me…?”
“You once said you had no intention of becoming the family head. That you would remain neutral.”
“Huh? Y-yes, I did.”
Yoo Min had declared her neutrality and renounced any claim to the family head position.
Since she had even disbanded her own faction, no one doubted her words.
“…….”
“…….”
Silence lingered.
The oppressive quiet made Yoo Min’s expression darken further.
In contrast, Yoo Tae-rang was perfectly at ease.
He crossed his legs and took a sip of the tea a servant had brought.
Yoo Min clenched her fists.
“Choose.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Yes. Will you follow me, or will you cling to your neutrality and die?”
Sshing!
The swordsmen guarding the room drew their swords.
Their movements made it clear—her answer would determine whether she lived or died.
“Until now, staying neutral kept you alive. But things will be different from now on.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ve imprisoned Ja-yeon.”
“……!”
Yoo Min was stunned.
“And this is just the beginning. Next, I’ll deal with Yoo Jung-yeon, and finally, I’ll kill Yoo Baek-jun.”
“Brother! That’s—!”
“I will become the family head.”
Yoo Tae-rang cut her off, his voice firm.
His cold gaze bore into her.
“I will eliminate—no, kill—anyone who stands in my way. Ja-yeon and Yoo Jung-yeon are just the start.”
“You’re planning to kill Grandmaster Ja-yeon and Jung-yeon…? How?”
“First, I’ll try persuasion. If they refuse, I’ll have no choice but to kill them.”
“…….”
His words were decisive.
And utterly emotionless.
Even though he was talking about killing those who had been by his side for years, not a flicker of emotion showed on his face.
“I’m giving you a chance, Yoo Min.”
Yoo Tae-rang spoke to her in a low voice.
“If you side with me now, I’ll grant you any position you desire once I become family head. Anything at all.”
“I don’t… desire any position.”
“Then I’ll guarantee your life.”
Yoo Min froze.
“Even if you don’t want power, you still want to live, don’t you?”
“So you’ll kill me if I refuse?”
Yoo Tae-rang smiled silently.
“Don’t worry. If you obey, I won’t harm you.”
‘Lies.’
Yoo Min knew his words were empty.
Once everything was over, Yoo Tae-rang would discard her like trash.
He wouldn’t spare a potential successor who could threaten his position—not when he no longer needed to consider anyone’s opinion.
But,
“…I understand.”
She had no choice.
Yoo Tae-rang nodded in satisfaction.
“Then I’ll give you your first order. Lure Yoo Jung-yeon to your estate.”
“Sister? Me?”
“Yes. She’s sharp—if I summon her, she’ll suspect something. But if it’s you, she’ll come.”
Yoo Min nodded slowly.
“I’ll… do that.”
Yoo Tae-rang left, satisfied.
Yoo Min watched his retreating figure without a word, her expression unreadable.
***
That night.
In the Sword Saint Family’s estate, usually so tranquil and peaceful—
Swish, swish!
Dozens of swordsmen moved in secret, preparing for something.
Once ready, they waited as if anticipating a signal.
And when the time came—
“Sister.”
“Hm? What brings you here so late?”
“There’s something urgent I need to talk about.”
Yoo Jung-yeon arrived at Yoo Min’s estate.
“Something urgent? What is it?”
“Let’s go inside first.”
As Yoo Tae-rang had instructed, Yoo Min had summoned Yoo Jung-yeon to her estate.
Had Yoo Tae-rang called, she would have refused—but because it was Yoo Min, she came without suspicion.
The two headed to Yoo Min’s room.
“Could you get me some tea? I’m parched from rushing here.”
“Sure, Sister. Have a seat.”
Yoo Min pretended to call a servant for tea, while Yoo Jung-yeon turned to take her seat.
“Sorry for being late. Did you wait long?”
“No, not at all.”
“……!”
The moment Yoo Jung-yeon sat down, a blade rested against her neck.
And then, a familiar voice.
“Yoo Tae-rang…! Why are you here?”
“Can’t I visit my dear younger sister?”
Yoo Jung-yeon’s face turned even colder. Those were words she could never accept from him.
“‘Dear younger sister’? That doesn’t sound like something you’d say, Brother. Especially not with a sword at my throat.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. This situation is… quite shocking.”
Yoo Tae-rang chuckled softly.
“You’re about to be even more shocked.”
He opened the window and signaled outside.
And moments later—
Booooom!
“That sound…!”
A massive tremor shook the air.
The deafening noise reverberated throughout the family estate, startling the patrolling swordsmen.
Before their eyes—
Koooom!
A gigantic barrier materialized.
Barriers encircled the mansions where most of the family’s swordsmen resided.
“A barrier?! What’s the meaning of this…?!”
“Subdue them all! Kill anyone who resists!”
“Charge!”
Before the bewildered swordsmen could react to the sudden barriers—
A wave of swordsmen rushed forward with a battle cry.
“Wh-what’s going on?!”
“Ugh! Enemies! Defend yourselves!”
They wore uniforms different from the Sword Saint Family’s—crimson-red robes.
As if to clearly distinguish ally from foe.
“Y-you…!”
“No, why are you…?!”
Comrades who had been laughing together just that morning now pointed swords at each other.
One hesitated, stunned—
“The rightful successor, Lord Yoo Tae-rang, will lead this family!”
“Wh-what?! Gah!”
“We will cut down all who stand in his way!”
Only then did the swordsmen realize what was happening.
‘A rebellion!’
Yoo Tae-rang, feeling his position threatened, had launched a coup.
Horror dawned on their faces.
‘A rebellion?!
‘Even if his position was unstable, to rebel against the family?!’
‘How did he sway these traitors…? How did he control them?!’
Shock, confusion, disbelief.
The swordsmen were stunned again by the fanatical fervor of the rebels.
They couldn’t comprehend how anyone would blindly charge into such a meaningless fight.
“Ghk, ugh!”
“Damn it! Fight back! Don’t hesitate—they’re traitors! If you lower your sword, you die!”
The family’s swordsmen resisted, but the sudden ambush overwhelmed them.
Worse, the rebels wielded secretly smuggled magical artifacts—
Kwaaaaang!
Magic cannons, lethal traps, weakening magic circles, even golems.
“Gaaah!”
“Y-you traitors!”
The family’s swordsmen fell rapidly under the relentless assault.
The same bloody scene played out across the estate.
“Th-this is….”
Yoo Jung-yeon saw it too.
Through the window Yoo Tae-rang had opened, the horrific spectacle unfolded.
To her, it was an unimaginable nightmare.
“Yoo Jung-yeon, I’ll give you a choice.”
Amid the distant battle cries and the stench of blood—
“Surrender to me and save your swordsmen, or die here.”
His declaration was absolute.