Chapter 285
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 285.
Yoo Baek-jun looked at himself.
On the outside, he wore the robes of the Death Priests, and his face and skin were specially disguised by Jeon Soo-yeon’s touch.
Thanks to that, his current appearance was exactly that of the Death Priests seen here.
“Wow, Family Head. If I ran into you on the way, I might stab you without realizing it’s you. Be careful.”
“Are you telling me to be careful of you? Hey, aren’t you going to sheathe your sword? Where do you think this is…?”
Though Jeon Soo-yeon said it playfully, it wasn’t entirely a joke.
The disguise was so well done that if he encountered a follower of the Thunder God, they might attack him on sight.
“You stay here.”
“I want to go with you, but…”
Jeon Soo-yeon looked at the vortex.
“If I do that, I won’t end up in a good state, right? I’ll stay here.”
“Good. Take this little one too.”
―Kyawung?
Seol-yeong couldn’t go in either.
He entrusted the creature to Jeon Soo-yeon.
“Alright.”
Yoo Baek-jun stood at the center of the battlefield, leading countless undead.
The center of the Battlefield of Proof was engulfed in a black vortex.
From there, the undead and the Death Priests revealed themselves.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun pulled his hood tightly over his face and stepped forward.
Whoosh!
The black vortex welcomed him.
As he entered the vortex with the undead, blade-like winds violently battered his entire body.
If he didn’t have the trait of the Successor of the Death King.
‘My body would have been torn to shreds.’
Yoo Baek-jun shuddered.
Thanks to the trait of the Successor of the Death King, a part of Thanatos’s authority, he could avoid significant damage.
“Oh….”
The inside of the vortex was pitch black.
The sky, the ground, even the air he breathed felt unbearably gloomy.
Just setting foot on this land made him feel as though his lifespan was being drained.
“Where did these tombstones come from?”
There were charnel houses filled with corpses everywhere, and tombstones rose from the ground.
Moreover, ghostly white figures floated in the air.
This place was literally hell.
―Click, clack.
―Grrrr…….
And the undead.
Literally an enormous number of undead roamed the surroundings.
And the Death Priests were selecting those undead.
―This one looks usable.
―A Death Knight… You, follow me. We need your sword skills.
This wasn’t some shopping mall.
The Death Priests chose the undead they wanted and prepared to deploy.
Yoo Baek-jun observed where those priests were emerging from.
‘Over there.’
A building was visible in the far distance.
A massive temple-like structure. From there, an ominous black pillar soared high into the sky.
‘A temple dedicated to Thanatos.’
A temple serving the Thunder God and a temple dedicated to Thanatos existed in the same region.
An ironic situation.
‘I probably don’t need to go there.’
That was the heart of enemy territory.
This area itself was essentially the enemy’s stronghold, so there was no need to venture into their core.
Yoo Baek-jun gathered the undead he controlled and had them surround him like a barrier.
“Let’s see, the path…”
Yoo Baek-jun checked the fixed-form lightning he had hidden in his pocket.
It acted like a detector, indicating the location of the seal’s core.
‘I just need to go this way.’
Yoo Baek-jun pressed forward through the dark fog with the undead.
The inside of the vortex was so pitch-black that securing a clear line of sight was difficult.
“…….”
Though he remained vigilant, no one suspected Yoo Baek-jun.
Even the undead he didn’t control, wandering this place, showed no particular hostility toward him.
‘Do they think I’m an ally?’
Simply disguising himself wouldn’t make them think he was an ally.
Most undead lacked the intelligence to distinguish appearances anyway.
It was because of the death energy emanating from him that they considered him an ally.
―We need more corpses. When was the next oracle supposed to descend?
―Three days later. That’s when the corpses from the underworld will rise here.
―That’s a relief. The Thunder God’s followers are struggling… We must reclaim the temples they took back.
The Death Priests were conversing among themselves.
Thanatos seemed intent on fully dominating this Battlefield of Proof.
‘His ultimate goal is revenge against the gods of Halpeon, after all.’
He must want to dominate this place and expand his territory to prepare for that.
Yoo Baek-jun tightened the formation of the undead he controlled, further concealing himself.
He tried to pass by the conversing Death Priests, but—
―Hey, you there.
A Death Priest called out to him.
He considered pretending not to hear, but they were staring right at him.
Yoo Baek-jun stopped.
―Where are you going?
“…….”
Tension flowed.
Yoo Baek-jun remained silent for a moment. The Death Priest was about to speak again.
“…I killed some of the Thunder God’s followers. I’m going to replenish the undead.”
―Oh?
The Death Priests stared intently at Yoo Baek-jun.
Were they suspicious?
He quickly scanned his surroundings and placed a hand on the Explosive Rain Transformation.
‘If necessary, I’ll kill them.’
That was his thought.
But it was an unnecessary concern.
―Then hand over those undead to us. We’re short on corpses, so we’re lacking in numbers.
―Since you killed the Thunder God’s followers, Thanatos won’t reprimand you for resting for a while.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun sighed inwardly in relief and nodded.
There was no reason to refuse.
―The corpses will be replenished in three days, so once they turn into undead, you can use them. Make good use of them.
Yoo Baek-jun handed over a significant portion of the undead he had.
The Death Priests left, saying they could earn merit with this.
“What’s this? I feel a bit unpleasant.”
―Clack, clack.
The few remaining undead beside him clattered their teeth as if responding.
It felt like having money stolen from his wallet.
Yoo Baek-jun shook his head and moved forward again.
“Here it is.”
After walking for a while…
Advancing through the vortex where he couldn’t see an inch ahead, Yoo Baek-jun finally reached his destination.
A desolate, empty plain. But the fixed-form lightning in his pocket was reacting.
Crackle!
Yoo Baek-jun pulled out the fixed-form lightning he had received from the Thunder God.
Then, something miraculous happened.
“Oh….”
The lightning flashed brightly and began dispelling the surrounding darkness.
As if purifying it.
“Like an air purifier.”
Yoo Baek-jun muttered something trivial and thrust the lightning into the ground.
Rumble!
A staircase leading underground appeared.
After glancing around, he cautiously stepped onto the stairs.
Thud!
As Yoo Baek-jun descended underground, the door to the staircase closed again.
At the bottom of the stairs, light illuminated the interior.
A maze-like passage.
“…….”
It was eerily quiet.
Yoo Baek-jun remained vigilant as he slowly, very slowly, took a step forward.
Then, a clunksound echoed.
“This doesn’t feel good.”
As soon as Yoo Baek-jun muttered—
Whoosh!
With a dull sound, laser-like beams shot at him from all directions.
Elemental Light magic.
A natural enemy of the undead.
The reason such magic was targeting him was extremely simple.
Whooosh!
“Right, this was here.”
Because the temple recognized Yoo Baek-jun as an intruder.
The reason was straightforward.
The overwhelming death energy emanating from him.
“Seriously, this isn’t helpful!”
And that wasn’t all.
Starting with the laser-like magic, all sorts of traps assailed him.
Falling rocks, collapsing floors, mysterious magic circles, even walls closing in to crush him.
“Can’t you make this easier?!”
Yoo Baek-jun frantically dodged the relentless traps.
He ran forward without even a moment to catch his breath. The fixed-form lightning in his pocket guided the way.
Crash!
Yoo Baek-jun used Aura Install to block the onslaught of traps.
He dodged what he could, blocked what he couldn’t, and endured what was unavoidable with his body.
Sssss…
“I knew you’d show up.”
Ghostly white figures blocked his path.
They were all armed spirits, and their attire looked familiar.
The robes worn by the Thunder God’s followers.
―Defiled one.
―You shall not pass.
The walls on either side opened, revealing an overwhelming number of spirits.
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
‘There are too many to fight.’
Considering the enemies waiting beyond, he shouldn’t engage them.
Having made that judgment, Yoo Baek-jun activated Ghost Phantom Steps.
Swish!
Countless afterimages appeared, confusing the spirits rushing toward him.
Seizing the opportunity, Yoo Baek-jun dashed forward using Flash Steps.
Boom!
With a thunderous sound, his body shot forward like lightning.
―Sto…
―Intruder…
The voices of the spirits faded.
Yoo Baek-jun charged like a tank, plowing through the enemies blocking his path.
Countless traps assaulted his body.
Enduring the pain, he reached his destination in an instant.
The deepest part of the underground.
“Here it is.”
In the deepest part of the underground was a familiar altar-like structure.
And ontop it, a crystal orb—the seal’s core the Thunder God had mentioned.
‘Is that an item?’
Beside the seal’s core were similarly sealed pieces of equipment.
A sinister staff and an unfamiliar emblem.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun pulled out the fixed-form lightning from his pocket and gripped the Thunder Spear.
He also raised his magical power to its limit, ready to activate a skill at any moment.
Crackle!
An unknown barrier surrounded the altar.
A barrier that blocked the unworthy. Lightning coursed over its surface.
When he pressed the fixed-form lightning against it, the barrier melted away like snow.
Yoo Baek-jun approached the altar.
‘Probably…’
As he reached the altar, Yoo Baek-jun reached out to touch the seal’s core.
And at that very moment—
―Filthy intruder!
Something appeared.
Right in front of Yoo Baek-jun, behind the altar.
Light gathered in the empty air, taking shape.
Six massive wings, a sculpted face, sacred white armor.
‘I knew it.’
An angel, so to speak.
And not just any angel—one with formidable power.
As it took form, it roared at Yoo Baek-jun.
―How dare you think this place is…! Gah!
Yoo Baek-jun hurled his spear.
The Thunder Dragon, already prepared, pierced the angel’s chest in an instant.
―Aaaagh!
“Huff!”
Yoo Baek-jun activated Heavenly Aura and unleashed two different skills with each hand.
Heavenly Chain Strikes and Heavenly Destruction.
―Ugh, gah! Kraaaah!
Afterimages appeared from all directions, mercilessly attacking the angel.
The relentless flurry left the angel disoriented, and Heavenly Destruction struck its face.
Boom!
―Kuh, hrrk…
The angel’s fully formed body slammed into the wall.
Drip, drip—its body slid down.
“First strike wins.”
Yoo Baek-jun coldly glared down at the angel.
It wasn’t dead.
Angels weren’t the type to die easily.
“I’ll freeze it for now.”
Yoo Baek-jun used Frozen Soul Palm and Cold Aura to their limits.
The angel’s body froze instantly.
“Good, then…”
Yoo Baek-jun turned his back.
He gripped the fixed-form lightning and thrust it into the altar.
Fwoosh!
Light flooded the surroundings.