Chapter 292
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 292.
The traitors of the Mikazuki Guild were guarding a wide open field.
Originally, this area was where the boss monster of the region resided, but now it was under their control.
And at the center of it all—the gate.
“Hey, do we really need this many people staying behind? There’s no way Nagito would come here.”
“I don’t know either.”
Over a hundred hunters were stationed around the gate.
If they included those who had gone to track Nagito, the number would be even higher.
It was excessive—way too excessive.
“We’re just following orders. If you have complaints, go voice them yourself.”
“Ugh…”
The two whispering hunters glanced at the figures standing right beside the gate.
A man in thin, flowing robes gripping a longsword, and another man clad head-to-toe in heavy armor, holding a shield.
Senya and Kenya—the brothers.
“…If I spoke up, I might end up dead.”
“Then you understand.”
Both were renowned hunters in Japan, and their skills were exceptional.
But above all, they were infamous for their eccentric personalities.
No one here had the guts to protest against them.
“……”
“……”
The hunters, who feared Senya and Kenya, remained silent.
Kenya was the first to break the silence.
“The report is late.”
“……”
“At this point, we should’ve heard something by now.”
Senya kept his eyes closed, silent—as if he couldn’t care less.
Kenya scowled.
“Something’s wrong. Hey, you lot—go track Nagito.”
“Huh? But—”
“Don’t argue with me.”
Kenya growled at the hunters, who flinched at the sudden order.
They knew all too well what happened when this beast of a man got angry.
“Find the ones who went ahead and report back on what happened.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Move it, you idiots!”
The hunters scrambled away.
Kenya watched their retreating backs with dissatisfaction.
Then, Senya—who had been silent—opened his eyes.
“They’re coming.”
“Monsters?”
“Maybe.”
Senya’s gaze was fixed on the rear—where the defeated boss monster had fled.
Kenya knew better than anyone that his brother possessed senses far sharper than others.
“Prepare for battle.”
At the command, the hunters immediately gripped their weapons.
All eyes turned toward the rear.
What emerged from there was—
—Grrrr…
—Krrrr…
“What the hell?”
Monsters.
The same ones that had been crushed by Mikazuki’s hunters not long ago and forced to flee.
Their bodies were pure white, encased in ice like armor.
Among them was the boss monster—
—ROOOAR!
A bear-like creature the size of a house, its body covered in ice-plated armor, exuding overwhelming menace.
“Tch, annoying bastards. They know they’re no match for us, yet they still come…”
“Typical monster behavior.”
“Hey! Battle positions!”
Yet, the hunters weren’t particularly tense despite the monsters’ appearance.
They had already defeated them once, and the monsters’ condition looked visibly worse now.
“Nagito’s nowhere to be seen, so this’ll at least kill some boredom.”
“Might as well make some money off them.”
Since the monsters were high-grade, selling their remains would be profitable.
With that in mind, the hunters prepared to attack without much concern.
“Huh?”
Then, from beneath the massive bear-like monster, a tiny animal darted out.
All eyes turned toward it.
—Mewl.
“What’s this now?”
A small, tiger-like creature.
Its appearance was oddly cute, prompting a few hunters to let out surprised noises.
The little animal walked forward.
Curious, one hunter stepped in front of it.
“Hey, what are you? One of their cubs?”
—Mrrow?
The small creature tilted its head.
The hunter reached out, trying to grab it by the scruff.
—Grrr.
The little animal’s eyes flashed.
And then—
—ROAR!
“GAAAH!”
The tiny beast transformed into a massive tiger, swiping the hunter away.
The attack was too fast to react to.
The hunter’s body went flying like a bowling pin.
“……”
“……”
A brief silence fell.
While the hunters hesitated in shock, Seol-yeong let out a long roar.
—ROOOOAR!
—GRRRR!
—SCREEEECH!
The boss monster and its underlings charged forward in unison.
Kenya bellowed in fury.
“That damn idiot! Don’t panic! These monsters are already weak!”
“Just kill them like before!”
He wasn’t wrong.
Though the situation was unexpected, they had already beaten these monsters once.
The hunters quickly regained their composure and prepared to fight.
“Guh… AACK!”
“AAAH!”
But before they could, something flew toward their backs.
Sword energy.
Countless blades of energy slashed deep into the hunters’ backs.
“Ugh… Hrk… W-What…?”
“Behind us!”
Hunters collapsed.
Kenya cursed and spun around.
What he saw were countless swordsmen—and at their head, Nagito.
“Nagito.”
“So you’re still alive. Like a damn cockroach.”
“You filthy traitors!”
“Traitors? Hah!”
Kenya scoffed.
“Just the whining of losers. If you die here, no one will ever know the truth.”
“You think that’s how this’ll go?!”
“……”
The swordsmen beside Nagito—Kenya recognized them.
“I don’t know where you found these guys, but it changes nothing.”
“Is that so?”
Senya, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
His eyes gleamed coldly.
“No matter how many swordsmen you bring, they’re no match for us.”
Kenya and Senya radiated confidence.
Nagito gritted his teeth.
“Kenya is called the ‘Shield of Our Guild.’ His defensive power is absolute.”
“And the one next to him?”
“Senya… Kenya’s younger brother. He’s not officially part of our guild, but he helps Kenya sometimes. And he’s one of Japan’s top-ranked hunters.”
“Hoh.”
A fairly strong one, then.
Yoo Baek-jun searched his memory. The name sounded familiar.
Despite being surrounded, the brothers remained composed, confident in their strength.
‘Should I use the artifact?’
The last one he acquired—the Death King Artifact, King of the Dead.
If he used it, he could summon an army of the dead.
That would make things much easier.
“……”
But the Mikazuki Guild members behind him gave him pause.
After a brief moment of thought, Yoo Baek-jun shook his head.
Too soon to use it here.
“I’ll handle Senya. You guys just buy time against the others.”
“Understood.”
The other guild members would be dealt with by the swordsmen of the Sword Saint family.
Whether he heard the conversation or not—
“You arrogant bastard! Do you even know who I am?!”
Senya exploded in rage.
“Do I look weak enough to be handled by some nobody like you?!”
“Well, not exactly…”
Yoo Baek-jun gestured behind him.
Nagito and the others let out a battle cry and charged at the enemies.
Seol-yeong roared as well.
—ROOOAR!
Responding to the cry, the monsters fought even more fiercely.
Thanks to the power granted by its parent, Seol-yeong could now tap into its future strength.
As a mature spirit beast, it could subdue weaker monsters.
‘Normally, controlling this region’s boss monster would’ve been difficult.’
But now, thanks to the Mikazuki Guild, the boss monster was severely weakened.
Seol-yeong overpowered it and forced it to obey its commands.
This was the result.
“Guh… AACK!”
“Damn it! What the hell do we do?!”
Monsters attacked from the front.
Swordsmen struck from behind.
Just as they had done to others, the hunters were now being attacked from both sides.
As if karma had come full circle.
SLASH!
“Khh! T-They’re strong…!”
The swordsmen were even more troublesome than the monsters.
They moved freely across the snow-covered terrain, toying with the hunters as they cut them down.
‘Tch, this isn’t good… We need to deal with the monsters first. I’ll have to step in myself—’
Kenya sensed the battle turning against them and moved to aid his subordinates.
But someone attacked him before he could.
“Khh!”
Nagito and the Mikazuki Guild members.
Their eyes burned with hatred as they glared at Kenya.
“Your fight is with us.”
“Nagito… You trash!”
Though they had treated their injuries, Nagito and his group were still in terrible shape.
They couldn’t fight at full strength.
But they could at least keep Kenya occupied.
‘Senya! You’re our only hope now!’
As Kenya fought Nagito and his group, he glanced toward Senya.
Amid the raging blizzard of battle—
Yoo Baek-jun and Senya stood motionless, staring each other down.
“State your name!”
“Do you really need to know?”
“You arrogant—! Just like your master’s family, you’re insufferable!”
“Ah…”
That comment suddenly jogged his memory.
‘Ah, right. That loudmouth.’
He was one of Japan’s top-ranked hunters.
Even among hunters with diverse abilities, he was known as a swordsman.
Senya himself proudly claimed to be Japan’s greatest swordsman.
‘He is skilled with a sword, but…’
Not a difficult opponent.
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
“Head of the Sword Saint family! I’ve heard of your family’s reputation! I’d like to see if it’s deserved!”
Senya flourished his sword dramatically, his competitive spirit flaring.
He pointed the blade at Yoo Baek-jun.
“So draw your sword! Let’s see whose swordsmanship is superi—GYAHH!”
BOOM!
Yoo Baek-jun suddenly fired Explosive Rain Transformation.
Dark energy exploded around Senya in an instant, followed by a vicious spread of poison.
“Y-You coward! A sneak attack—?!”
“What, are we filming a movie?”
Yoo Baek-jun gripped Thunder Spear.
And then—
THWACK!
“Guh…!”
The spear, crackling with lightning, shot straight for Senya’s heart.
He managed to deflect it with a skill, but his stance broke.
Yoo Baek-jun didn’t let the opportunity slip.
“Is your head full of flowers?”
In an instant, he closed the distance, a sword now in his right hand.
Moonlight erupted from its edge.
“Khh! This much is nothing—!”
Countless blades of sword energy—Moonlight—split the air.
Senya tried to counter with his own swordsmanship, slashing them down.
But Yoo Baek-jun didn’t give him the chance.
WHOOSH!
“—!”
Cold aura burst from Yoo Baek-jun, freezing Senya’s movements.
His body slowed.
On top of that, the poison from Explosive Rain Transformation took effect, stiffening his muscles.
‘T-This is bad!’
That was the end.
Countless blades of energy shredded Senya’s body.
And with one final slash—
His head flew off.
“You’re just as ridiculous now as you were back then.”
Senya collapsed.
Yoo Baek-jun looked down at him with disbelief.
“What a lunatic.”
For a top-ranked hunter, he should’ve had plenty of real combat experience—yet he still spouted nonsense like that.
Yoo Baek-jun shook his head.
“SEEEENYAAAAAA!”
Kenya let out a bloodcurdling scream as he watched his brother fall.
Yoo Baek-jun scoffed.
“What, you actually have brotherly love?”
No need to grieve.
He’d be following his brother soon enough.