Chapter 280
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 280.
A vast plain.
A group of undead was closing in, surrounding a crowd of followers.
Among them were high-ranking undead, such as death knights and Dullahans.
—Kill them. Devour every last one of these despicable followers of the Thunder God.
Drool dripped from their mouths, and their filthy bodies were stained with blood.
But it wasn’t their own blood.
“Move the wounded to the back!”
“There are too many of them… way too many!”
“Damn corpses, they… they killed our comrades!”
That blood belonged to other followers.
Those who had failed to escape the sudden onslaught of the undead horde.
In the end, they had been devoured.
—Hehe, they look delicious.
—Food… we need food…
The undead advanced.
But there was nowhere to retreat.
The followers sensed their impending deaths. Just like the followers moments ago, they would be torn apart and eaten.
“Ugh, grrrrgh!”
A follower shed tears.
Tears of frustration and rage.
The frustration of dying here without having proven anything.
“At the very least, I’ll take you down with me!”
—Kehek!
The follower swung his axe in a surprise attack, cleaving through the skull of an undead.
The undead collapsed and the follower swung his axe wildly, like a madman.
—Grrrr…
—A pointless struggle…
But it was a futile effort.
As soon as the follower killed one undead, another took its place.
The enemies were far too numerous.
And worse, even more undead were joining from behind.
“Tch, damn it…”
Seeing the reinforcements, the follower lost his will to fight.
His axe dropped, and the undead lunged at him.
—Kyaaaaah!
—Kehek?!
A bloodcurdling scream echoed.
But it wasn’t the follower’s scream.
“Wh-what is this…?”
A skeleton knight beside him had just sliced through the neck of a zombie charging at the follower.
The zombie’s head flew through the air.
The follower was dumbfounded. The other undead were just as stunned.
—Kraaaah!
—What the hell are you doing?!
But that wasn’t all.
At the rear of the undead forces, the newly arrived undead began attacking their own kind.
As if they were enemies.
—What are you doing?! Who is the priest leading you? Answer me!
A monstrous figure—half-undead, half-human—shouted in panic from the very back.
—Grr, kuh! Stop them!
—Grrrr…
A death priest who served Thanatos like the Thunder God's priests.
They were the ones commanding this disorderly horde of undead.
“Wh-what’s going on? What the hell is happening?”
“Did they turn on each other?”
The followers were bewildered.
The undead, who had seemed united moments ago, were now tearing each other apart.
But the surprises didn’t end there.
Kwaaaar—Kwaaaang!
A bolt of lightning struck from the sky.
It struck precisely the undead that had been about to attack the followers.
The lightning’s current spread, engulfing the surrounding undead.
—Kyaaaaak!
—Aaaaargh!
The stench of burning flesh.
The undead burst into flames in an instant. Terrified, the remaining undead scrambled back.
And through the gap, Yoo Baek-jun descended from the sky.
Kuuuuung!
The moment Yoo Baek-jun landed, the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
The undead staggered.
He immediately activated Thunderstomp Strike.
Zap!
—Ah, no… protect me!
A blinding golden light filled their vision.
Lightning surged outward. Yoo Baek-jun located his target amidst the undead horde and charged.
—Keh… heuk!
Like lightning, Yoo Baek-jun beheaded the death priest in a single strike.
The one who had been leading these undead.
Yoo Baek-jun tossed the corpse aside and returned to the followers.
—Gr… grrr…
—Uuuuuu…
The remaining undead were now fighting among themselves.
Too busy to pay attention to this side. Yoo Baek-jun looked at the followers.
“Can you move?”
“Huh? Ah, yes! Somehow…”
“Head to the rear. You’ll meet up with the others there.”
“Ah, understood!”
The followers hurriedly helped the wounded retreat.
The undead were too preoccupied with their infighting to stop them.
And so, the followers escaped.
“…….”
—Grrrr…
Some undead tried to attack Yoo Baek-jun. He sighed and raised his fist.
—Kehk, heuk!
—Kyaaaaah!
He unleashed the power of the Death King.
A dark aura erupted from him, engulfing the undead.
A hundred of them.
—Ugh… ugh.
With a flick of his head, the undead dropped to their knees.
Now under his control.
“Sigh…”
Yoo Baek-jun exhaled and rolled his stiff neck.
Every time he used this ability, he could feel his body rotting. It was unpleasant.
“How many squads is this now? Tch, I’ve lost count.”
“Four squads, Family head.”
“Really? That’s a lot.”
Jeon Soo-yeon, who had been keeping watch, appeared beside him.
Seol-yeong was in her arms.
“Hmm, is this enough…?”
Yoo Baek-jun recalled the undead waiting nearby.
He had subjugated nearly a thousand. That should suffice.
He checked his achievement points.
[Current achievement: 3,600]
He had rescued isolated followers while dealing with the undead horde.
Thanks to that, his achievement had risen significantly.
‘Still not enough, huh.’
He needed even more achievement to meet the Thunder God directly.
Before attacking the temple with the special altar, he wanted to accumulate more achievement.
‘It’s hard to gather a lot of achievement in a short time alone.’
Then he’d just change his approach.
Yoo Baek-jun spotted another passing horde of undead and ordered his own undead to attack them.
—Kyaaaaak!
—Uuuaaah!
Undead clashed against undead.
His side had the numerical advantage, so the enemies didn’t last long.
“Now…”
He checked his achievement again.
It had risen from 3,600 to 3,800.
A faint smile touched his lips.
‘Good. Even if I don’t intervene directly, my achievement still increases.’
Just by letting the undead fight, Yoo Baek-jun could accumulate achievement.
He had wondered if it would work from a distance, but it seemed there was no issue.
“Alright, where are the enemies?”
“Right here.”
Jeon Soo-yeon had marked their locations on a map while scouting the area.
“What a mess. A complete mess.”
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
Undead were everywhere. It made sense why the followers were being overwhelmed.
“Hmm, good.”
He divided his undead into several groups and sent them to attack the marked locations.
Then, he led a portion of the undead himself and advanced.
“We’re heading to the temple.”
While the undead farmed points, he would take the temple.
* * *
Once, this temple had been where followers of the Thunder God prayed and prepared for battle against the undead.
But now, the abandoned temple was overrun with undead.
—I smell the living…
“Aaaah!”
A follower hiding from the undead was dragged out by a skeleton knight.
This temple had been recently captured, so survivors were still being found.
—Lock them all in the basement. They’ll be useful.
—Understood…
The death priests combed through the survivors and herded them underground.
Before long, all the survivors had been imprisoned.
—That’s the last of them.
—Pesky insects. So persistent. Not like the living can escape this place anyway…
A swirling black vortex surrounded the temple.
Only the dead could pass through. The living could neither leave nor enter.
—High Priest! We’ve completed the task you assigned. What should we do next?
The death priests who had captured the survivors headed to the temple’s grand hall.
A hall stained with blood and gore.
At its center, standing on a magic circle, was a robed man.
—…….
A towering figure, radiating dark energy.
The High Priest. He turned to look at them.
—We will crush their faith. Make them abandon the god they worship and serve Him.
—We’ll prepare immediately.
The death priests began their work in the basement.
Preparations to brainwash the captured followers of the Thunder God.
The High Priest gazed into a mirror.
A magical mirror that showed the surrounding area.
—We’ve nearly secured this region. Just a few more pests to eliminate…
He closed his eyes.
—High Priest, we heard you recently met with Him. What should we do now?
—He desires vengeance.
—Vengeance? Against whom… those disgusting gods?
—Yes. But before that…
The High Priest bared his teeth.
—That insignificant human who dared ruin His plans… He wants that insect’s life.
—But that man is in another world. To get to him, surely…
—We will go to that world.
The High Priest opened his eyes.
—In this world, those detestable gods are still watching. But in that other world, they can do nothing.
—High Priest, wouldn’t that apply to us as well?
—No. We’ve already prepared a path to that world.
The failed summoning ritual.
But because of it, a gate connecting Halpeon and Earth had formed.
Imperfect and unstable, but usable.
—Our task is simple. Spread death in that world and increase our numbers.
There were many ways for gods to grow stronger, but gaining followers was the fastest.
That was the top priority. And then…
—Lord Thanatos will finally regain His power, return here… and take His revenge.
Against the gods who sealed Him.
The death priests bowed.
—We will obey.
The High Priest nodded solemnly, then smiled in satisfaction as he looked into the mirror.
—The undead are returning. They must have captured new followers. Lock them in the basement too.
—Understood.
The mirror reflected a massive horde of undead approaching the temple.
At first, the High Priest assumed it was the death priests returning from their expedition.
Even when the undead passed through the vortex and reached the temple’s front, he thought nothing of it.
—……!
Until he saw a man smiling amidst the undead.
The man grinned at the High Priest through the mirror and unleashed his magic.
—Kehek! What is this…?!
In an instant, countless magic spheres formed, surrounding the temple.
And before anyone could react—
Kwaaaaang!
—Kraaaak!
The magic spheres rained down.
Explosions rocked the temple. Debris from the collapsing ceiling crushed priests and undead alike.
—Grrk! That bastard…!
The High Priest glared at the cracked mirror, at the man on the other side.
A familiar face.
He had never met him, but he knew who he was—thanks to Thanatos.
—It’s him! Yoo Baek-jun…! The despicable human who dared defy Him!
The High Priest roared in fury.
Dark energy erupted from him, filling the grand hall.
—Release all the undead! Kill that human! We will offer that insect’s corpse to Him!
—Yes!
The High Priest gnashed his teeth as he glared at the composed Yoo Baek-jun.