Chapter 207
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 207.
"Yoo Baek-jun...!"
"Enough, stop calling me."
Yoo Tae-rang gritted his teeth so hard they creaked.
There was someone who shouldn't be here—someone he wished wasn't here.
And that someone was standing there, utterly nonchalant.
"Surprised to see the guy who should be raiding a gate here instead?"
Yoo Baek-jun chuckled.
"You should've been more careful. Did you really think I'd obediently go raid a gate when you were so blatantly trying to push me out?"
"You abandoned the gate?! You, the successor of the family?! I knew you were—!"
"Of course not. I left the gate raid to someone I trust."
Tsk, tsk. Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
"Feeling rushed?"
"What?"
"You must’ve felt your position narrowing. You must’ve noticed Father’s favor slipping away too."
Yoo Tae-rang had never experienced failure before.
Having lived a life of uninterrupted success, the recent events were hard for him to bear.
Especially since he had spent his entire life aiming for the position of family head of the Sword Saint lineage.
"Still, you should’ve been more careful. Just as this rebellion was your last chance to become family head..."
Yoo Baek-jun and Yoo Tae-rang’s eyes met.
"...it was also a perfect opportunity for me to secure my position as family head."
A brief silence passed.
Yoo Tae-rang’s gaze turned fierce.
"Was I dancing to your tune all along...? Was I in your grasp from the very beginning?"
Yoo Baek-jun didn’t answer.
"I have a question. Do you really have foresight?"
"Well, what do you think?"
"I don’t believe it. The foresight I’ve seen so far has been unstable and incomplete, unable to foresee even what’s right in front of them."
In this world, there were indeed hunters with foresight abilities.
But aside from a select few, most of those abilities were unreliable at best.
Even those few had many conditions to fulfill before they could use their powers.
In a way, it was only natural that Yoo Tae-rang didn’t believe Yoo Baek-jun had foresight.
"Above all, you don’t have a unique ability. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. You’re utterly talentless... Foresight isn’t something that manifests later in life."
"Your words are grating."
Yoo Tae-rang remained convinced that Yoo Baek-jun didn’t have foresight.
And he wasn’t wrong.
"You’re right. I don’t have foresight. All I have is knowledge in my head."
"Knowledge?"
"Yeah, knowledge accumulated through long experience."
"Long experience? You’re barely past 20. Even a stray dog would laugh at that."
Yoo Tae-rang placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"You don’t have foresight... That’s all I need to know. Without it, you stand no chance against me."
"Must be nice to be so confident."
Their gazes clashed.
A cold, merciless stare—neither was the kind of look one would give a brother.
Even setting aside Yoo Baek-jun, who was never a brother to begin with, Yoo Tae-rang was no different.
"You’ll die here, Yoo Tae-rang."
Yoo Baek-jun took his stance.
"There’s no place for you in the Sword Saint family that I’ll lead."
"You’re saying exactly what I wanted to say."
Tap!
The sound of Yoo Baek-jun kicking off the ground signaled the start of the battle.
He charged.
His speed was so fast his form blurred.
"......"
Yoo Tae-rang didn’t move.
He simply stood still. And just before the distance closed completely—
Clang!
His sword hand moved.
A flash of the blade.
Swoosh!
A slash shot forth.
Was it a Moon Cleaver Slash? No, different. Similar, but this one had no discernible form.
To be precise, it was invisible.
And above all—
'There are so many.'
Though formless, the sound of air being torn and the sharp killing intent could be felt.
Countless slashes flew toward Yoo Baek-jun, threatening to shred him to pieces.
Yoo Baek-jun immediately deployed a sword barrier.
"Do you really think you can block it?"
Yoo Tae-rang sneered.
True to his words, the slashes tore through Yoo Baek-jun’s barrier in an instant.
'If I can’t block, I’ll dodge.'
Yoo Baek-jun’s feet deployed a footwork technique.
Ghost Phantom Steps.
Afterimages shot forward as his form vanished.
And Yoo Tae-rang moved.
Swish!
His figure flickered like a heat haze before darting forward.
As Yoo Baek-jun retreated backward with Ghost Phantom Steps, Yoo Tae-rang appeared right in front of him, as if he had been waiting.
"......!"
Yoo Tae-rang unleashed another flash of his sword.
A thrust aimed straight at Yoo Baek-jun’s heart. As Yoo Baek-jun parried it, Yoo Tae-rang swung his scabbard in a surprise attack, striking his side.
Then, using the recoil from the parry, he brought his sword up and slashed downward with full force.
Crack!
Blades imbued with sword energy clashed.
The impact made Yoo Baek-jun’s hand tremble. Yoo Tae-rang immediately retracted his sword and began a relentless barrage of strikes without giving him a moment to breathe.
Clang! Clash!
A literally suffocating onslaught.
Yoo Tae-rang seamlessly chained together techniques from the Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique.
His movements were near-masterful.
"You’ve neglected your sword training."
Every time their sword-energy-imbued blades clashed, shattered energy scattered.
Had it not been for the Black Sword Grandal, Yoo Baek-jun’s weapon would have broken.
Gritting his teeth, Yoo Baek-jun found an opening and seized it to create distance.
"......!"
Then, he activated Grandal’s option.
Spatial Severance.
The blade swung through empty air and crossed space to strike at Yoo Tae-rang.
But astonishingly—
"Pathetic tricks."
Yoo Tae-rang blocked it.
The very same technique that had once struck down a Grandmaster—was deflected like nothing.
Yoo Baek-jun’s eyes widened in shock.
"An unexpected strike, but the killing intent within it can’t be hidden."
"You madman."
His surprise was short-lived. Yoo Baek-jun closed the distance between them in an instant.
Simultaneously, he thrust his sword.
At its tip, the Plum Blossom Fragrance Across Ten Thousand miles unfolded.
Whoosh!
Razor-sharp plum blossom petals scattered, engulfing Yoo Tae-rang.
An attack from all directions, leaving no blind spots. Yoo Tae-rang watched without flinching—then summoned his sword energy.
"Didn’t I tell you?"
He slammed his sword into the ground, sword energy brimming to the point of overflowing.
Boom!
The earth trembled and split from the impact, creating fissures.
Crash!
From those fissures, an overwhelming number of slashes surged upward.
Literally countless.
Those slashes clashed with the plum blossom petals, neutralizing the attack.
"Guh!"
A slash from beneath struck Yoo Baek-jun’s wrist, forcing him to drop his sword.
Had he not reinforced it with energy, his wrist would have been severed.
As Yoo Baek-jun staggered from the impact, Yoo Tae-rang closed in.
"Die."
As he drew his right arm far back. A blue sword light gleamed on the blade in his hand.
'As I thought.'
Yoo Baek-jun clenched both fists.
'Swords won’t work.'
A tempest-like energy swirled around his fists.
Yoo Baek-jun swung his right fist.
Boom!
He punched the incoming sword.
The blade aimed at his throat was knocked back, but Yoo Tae-rang, unfazed, immediately continued his assault.
Yoo Baek-jun swallowed hard.
"Huff!"
Without pause, he threw another punch.
Fist and sword clashed repeatedly, their energies colliding. Fragments of vivid energy scattered in all directions.
Yoo Tae-rang’s face twisted.
"That fist technique...!"
His eyes burned with killing intent.
Yoo Baek-jun suddenly unleashed the Frozen Soul Palm, aiming for Yoo Tae-rang’s wrist.
As Yoo Tae-rang moved his arm to evade, Yoo Baek-jun drew the Thunder Spear.
Whoosh!
A gale wall erupted from the spear’s tip, hurling Yoo Tae-rang back. Then, clenching his fist, he unleashed the Heavenly Destruction Fist Technique.
Countless afterimages burst forth as the Heavenly Chain Strikes engulfed Yoo Tae-rang.
"Who taught you that fist technique?!"
Yoo Tae-rang’s eyes blazed with fury.
"Was it Ja-yeon? Or Father? Who taught you?! Why you, of all people?! What the hell are you?!"
Yoo Tae-rang roared in rage and hurled his sword forward.
The sword split into countless blades midair, piercing through the afterimages before embedding themselves into the ground.
The swords formed a massive circle around Yoo Baek-jun, emitting magical energy.
'Formation magic.'
The formation’s power bound Yoo Baek-jun, immobilizing him.
Then, the swords hovering in the air aimed at him and fired simultaneously.
"Guh!"
The only saving grace was the option of the Necklace of Radiance—Brilliant Radiance—which shortened the binding’s duration.
But there was no time to relax.
Crack!
The swords struck Yoo Baek-jun and his eyes widened.
He deflected the first sword with his spear.
At the same time, another sword descended from above, aiming for his shoulder.
Thud!
As he blocked it with his left hand, the waiting swords targeted his opening.
Yoo Baek-jun frantically parried the relentless onslaught.
His movements were near-miraculous.
It was undoubtedly impressive, but—
"Pathetic."
Focusing solely on defense left him no room to counterattack.
Yoo Tae-rang watched with leisurely composure as Yoo Baek-jun desperately fended off the swords.
"Did you learn those cheap tricks to hide your mediocre swordsmanship?"
Yoo Tae-rang spoke slowly.
"One who aspires to lead the Sword Saint family must master the sword. Yet you, with skills inferior even to a disciple, dare to aim for the family head’s seat..."
A sneer played on his lips.
Yoo Tae-rang extended a hand.
"Such a thing cannot be allowed."
A sword materialized in his grasp.
A sword forged from blue sword energy—an intangible blade only those at the pinnacle of mastery could wield.
"You—!"
Yoo Tae-rang charged.
The distance closed in an instant. In that fleeting moment, he poured strength into his arm.
His arm trembled with power, as if the sword might tear free from his grip.
"You die here."
A single-minded resolve.
He poured it into his sword and swung.
Crack!
Dozens of sword energies shot forth alongside it.
Amidst them, Yoo Tae-rang’s blade aimed unerringly for Yoo Baek-jun’s heart.
A strike devoid of hesitation—lethal and terrifyingly fast.
"......"
Already overwhelmed by deflecting the swords, Yoo Baek-jun couldn’t block this.
Such was the nature of this attack.
A slash so perfect even Yoo Tae-rang, who had wielded a sword all his life, couldn’t help but be satisfied.
"......!"
Or so he thought.
Until the faint smile appeared on Yoo Baek-jun’s face.
A sudden, intense dread made Yoo Tae-rang try to retreat.
But it was too late.
"You...!"
The distance was too close.
Close enough for Yoo Tae-rang’s sword to almost pierce Yoo Baek-jun’s heart.
Which also meant Yoo Baek-jun’s fist was within range.
"...You talk too much."
Blue flames erupted.
Yoo Baek-jun twisted his waist sharply, pulling his right arm far back.
At that moment, Yoo Tae-rang’s sword reached its target—Yoo Baek-jun’s heart.
Crack!
"Guh?!"
But the attack didn’t land.
Because the clear flames erupting from Yoo Baek-jun’s body, and the dragon undulating within them, blocked it.
Horror flashed across Yoo Tae-rang’s face.
Whoosh!
The Heavenly Aura Dragon coiled around Yoo Baek-jun’s fist.
He untwisted his waist and unleashed the punch.
The dragon, wreathed in blue flames, shot forward, jaws gaping wide.
'I have to block!'
But it was too late.
Before he could even attempt to defend—
Boom!
The ferocious dragon engulfed him.
The explosive energy of Heavenly aura. Unable to withstand the consecutive detonations, Yoo Tae-rang’s body slammed into the ground.
"Cough!"
Blood gushed from his mouth.
Yoo Tae-rang’s eyes widened in shock. He lifted his head and saw the one who had struck him.
"Yoo Baek...jun..."
Yoo Baek-jun stood tall, wreathed in Heavenly aura.
"Who’s dying now?"
He smirked mockingly.