Chapter 210
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 210.
Yoo Tae-rang collapsed.
His right hand was severed, and his left arm was completely torn apart. His condition was so gruesome that it was unimaginable for someone like him.
The blood pouring from his entire body pooled on the ground, forming a puddle.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun silently watched him.
‘I’—the one possessing this body—felt nothing at this sight.
But ‘Yoo Baek-jun’ was different.
Perhaps because they were flesh and blood, he felt an indescribable emotion.
‘Is this pity?’
If it were the original Yoo Baek-jun before ‘I’ took over, he might have felt such an emotion.
After all, he was the epitome of a pushover among pushovers.
But the current Yoo Baek-jun was not like that.
He drew his sword.
“No reason to let you live.”
The blade shot forward.
The sword pierced precisely through Yoo Tae-rang’s chest, skewering his heart.
Yoo Tae-rang coughed up blood.
“Kuh—! Why… why?”
He suddenly spoke.
His voice was as emotionless and cold as ever. But the madness that had been seeping through lately was entirely absent.
“What?”
“Why did the Martial God choose you, of all people? Why you, and not another successor…….”
There was no emotion in Yoo Tae-rang’s words.
No resentment, nothing. His question was purely out of curiosity.
But if he had been resentful… it would have been somewhat understandable.
‘A guy who did nothing but read books for 20 years suddenly became strong thanks to sheer luck.’
Yoo Tae-rang was no saint.
He was undeniably a villain.
Yet, he had worked tirelessly since childhood to become the family head.
Unlike Yoo Baek-jun, who had never cared about the position in the first place.
“He didn’t choose me. I found it.”
“Found it?”
“Yes, through the books you ignored.”
“Books…….”
That wasn’t entirely true.
‘I’ didn’t learn it from books—I discovered it through firsthand experience.
But well, there was no way to explain that.
“And it’s also thanks to you.”
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
“You sent Shin Woo-hyun to kill me, which led me to discover that place. The place where the Martial God left his legacy.”
“…….”
Yoo Tae-rang stared blankly at Yoo Baek-jun.
A mocking smile flickered at the corner of his lips before he let out a hollow laugh.
“How absurd. The very act of eliminating a potential variable ended up creating the greatest variable.”
Gurgle—!
Blood gushed from Yoo Tae-rang’s mouth.
It was pitch-black, lifeless blood.
“The position of family head was right there… within my grasp…….”
Yoo Tae-rang reached his hand toward the sky.
Something shimmered like a mirage, just out of reach, as if it might slip into his grasp.
But it soon vanished.
“Still, it’s more peaceful than I expected…….”
Yoo Tae-rang’s arm slowly fell.
“…….”
He was dying.
This was effectively his last words.
Strangely, with a serene expression, he gazed at the sky as the light of life faded from his eyes.
“After causing so much trouble, you die annoyingly peacefully.”
He didn’t deserve sympathy.
Yoo Tae-rang had sacrificed far too many for his own greed.
Even his own family.
‘Not that I’m any better in that regard…….’
Yoo Baek-jun shook the blood off his sword. Yoo Tae-rang’s bloodstains marked the ground.
“So this is it. The final boss of the Yoo Baek-jun route is down. Hah.”
He felt complicated.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Yoo Baek-jun tightened his grip on his sword and glanced behind him. The one who had vanished earlier was now there.
—Hehe… Hahahahaha!
The Sword Demon.
It burst into maniacal laughter.
—How pitiful, Yoo Tae-rang! It’s a shame your body’s ruined… but hehe! This isn’t so bad either.
The Sword Demon, whose form was closer to a shadow than a solid shape, began to change.
Its shadow expanded, spewing monstrous energy as it took on the appearance of a vengeful spirit.
Whoosh!
The energy lifted Yoo Tae-rang’s nearly lifeless body. Then, the energy began seeping into his flesh.
Yoo Baek-jun stepped forward, but—
—Aaaaaah…….
An overwhelming surge of energy blocked his path. The souls trapped within it shrieked in agony.
—I told you before. Do you know the price of the power I granted you?
The Sword Demon sneered.
It had continuously fed Yoo Tae-rang its power. Of course, it wasn’t without a cost.
—Yes, now.
Everything was to steal Yoo Tae-rang’s body.
The power The Sword Demon granted corrupted the user’s body and mind, eventually placing them under its control.
—You… bastard…….
Yoo Tae-rang was nearly dead, but The Sword Demon’s energy could still restore him.
Though this ‘restoration’ would be far from human.
—Now, pay the price.
The Sword Demon reached for Yoo Tae-rang.
There was nothing Yoo Baek-jun could do. All he could do was watch as it took over—
“Not a chance.”
Yoo Baek-jun grinned.
The moment The Sword Demon’s hand touched Yoo Tae-rang and its energy began merging with his body—
“Seol-yeong! Do your job!”
—Wha—AAARGH!
Yoo Baek-jun shouted loudly.
A cute, out-of-place sound echoed, and from the distance, Seol-yeong roared like a beast as it charged forward.
—RAAWR!
Seol-yeong unleashed its power.
The ability to manipulate souls. An immense blue aura erupted from her, ensnaring The Sword Demon.
—Wh-what is this?! You—!
—GRRROOOAR!
—What?!
The Sword Demon panicked.
Its attempt to seize Yoo Tae-rang was completely thwarted.
The energy holding Yoo Tae-rang’s body dissipated, and his body dropped back to the ground.
—Grrr… RAAWR!
—What the hell is this beast saying?!
“Its name is Seol-yeong.”
A pure white energy flowed from Seol-yeong—the power to manipulate souls, inherited from Seol-ho.
It bound The Sword Demon, now trapped by its aura.
Then—
—SCREEEEEAM!
Dark energy was forcibly ripped from The Sword Demon. More accurately, the white energy was tearing it out.
The pain was so excruciating that The Sword Demon let out an scream.
“You think I’d just kill him without checking for this?”
—Wh-what… Gah! Y-you… knew?! Knew what I was planning?!
“Of course, obviously.”
Yoo Baek-jun gestured at Seol-yeong.
It unleashed even more power, forming a square prison around The Sword Demon.
Then, as it slammed its paw down—
“I’m a seasoned veteran, after all.”
Crunch, crack!
—Guh, ugh… ARGH!
The prison began tightening.
It closed in from all sides, crushing The Sword Demon trapped inside.
Its body contorted.
Seol-yeong gestured again, and the prison floated toward her.
—Om nom!
“This is a gift.”
Seol-yeong smacked the prison with her paw, imprinting a mark on The Sword Demon.
“A terrifying tiger in the underworld will be keeping a special eye on you. You’re welcome?”
—RAWR!
—Th-this can’t be… How…….
The Sword Demon despaired.
Crushed to the size of a fist, it desperately reached out.
—Y-Yoo Baek-jun. Listen to me. Don’t… don’t you need power? With you, I could grant even greater strength than Yoo Tae-rang…….
“Still scheming?”
Yoo Baek-jun scoffed.
“After seeing what you did to Yoo Tae-rang, you think I’d accept?”
—I-I’d never do that again…….
“Enough of this nonsense.”
The prison soared into the sky.
The soul of a vengeful spirit that had lingered for centuries was being dragged to the underworld.
“Go where you belong.”
—Aaaaaah…….
With a final, agonized scream, the prison—and The Sword Demon inside—vanished.
Likely pulled into the spirit realm.
‘The boss fight against Yoo Tae-rang has three phases.’
Phase 1: Yoo Tae-rang himself.
Phase 2: Yoo Tae-rang unleashing The Sword Demon’s power.
Phase 3: Fighting Yoo Tae-rang possessed by The Sword Demon.
“Why bother with all three phases when I can skip them entirely?”
—Meow?
With a spirit beast capable of manipulating souls by his side, why would he?
The Sword Demon had evaded the underworld for centuries, thanks to a special method of protecting itself.
‘But…….’
For just one moment—
When The Sword Demon tried to fully possess Yoo Tae-rang, that protection was nullified.
Yoo Baek-jun had been waiting for that moment.
“The bastard who lived for centuries to ruin the Sword Saint’s family died so pathetically.”
In other routes, if Yoo Tae-rang becomes the family head, he destroys the clan.
All because of that Sword Demon.
Under its influence, Yoo Tae-rang descends into madness and ruins everything.
“That future won’t happen now.”
—Pfft, lick, lick…
“Ah, young masterrr!”
Having finished her task, Seol-yeong began licking its dirtied paw.
From the distance, Choi Seung-min came running.
“Huff, puff! A-are you alright? I brought Seol-yeong as you instructed…….”
“I know. It’s right here.”
“Y-yes, yes. It ran ahead without me—I must be too slow. Whew!”
Choi Seung-min panted heavily.
He seemed exhausted from running all the way.
“You need to exercise. A guy trained by the Sword Saint’s family shouldn’t have such poor stamina.”
“Excuse me?! You’re one to talk! And do you even know how chaotic the family is right now?! I’ve been through hell!”
“Sure, sure, whatever.”
The clashing of swords and furious shouts echoed from all corners of the estate.
The resistance and the rebels were still fighting.
“Lord Yoo Tae-rang……”
Choi Seung-min sighed as he looked at Yoo Tae-rang’s corpse. As a member of the Sword Saint’s family, his feelings were inevitably complicated.
“Let’s go.”
Yoo Baek-jun picked up the corpse.
“Time to end this.”
* * *
A fierce battle raged on.
The resistance had abandoned defense and launched an all-out offensive, while the rebels desperately held them back.
“Push forward! We have the advantage!”
“Dammit! Hold the line! Lord Yoo Tae-rang will be here soon!”
The situation favored the resistance.
The rebels’ magic cannons and golems had been destroyed by the dwarves.
With the captives freed, the resistance now outnumbered them.
“Damn it! Where are the grandmasters?! The Branch leaders?!”
To make matters worse, the grandmasters and other high-ranking figures were all incapacitated.
Their last hope was Yoo Tae-rang, who should have been in the estate.
But even that hope was futile.
“Everyone, listen!”
A voice shattered their last hope.
A voice brimming with authority, one that commanded attention.
All eyes turned toward the source.
“And behold!”
There stood Yoo Baek-jun.
At his feet was an object as large as his own body. Before anyone could wonder what it was, he revealed it.
It was—
“Your leader is dead.”
“L-Lord Yoo Tae-rang!”
“How…?”
Yoo Tae-rang’s corpse.
His body was mangled beyond recognition, bearing the marks of a brutal battle.
Yoo Baek-jun declared loudly,
“Lay down your weapons and surrender now, and I’ll spare you! Refuse… and you’ll all die.”
His icy gaze swept over the rebels.
The moment their eyes met, they knew—
“The rebellion ends here.”
They had no future left.
Clang!
Someone dropped their sword.
Then, one by one—
“…….”
Every enemy let their weapons fall.
The rebels had lost all will to fight. With their leader dead, what was the point?
“Restrain them all.”
“Yes, sir!”
The resistance swiftly moved to subdue the rebels.
Yoo Baek-jun watched the scene.
“The tiresome succession dispute is finally over.”
The long-standing struggle for the Sword Saint’s family succession had reached its end.