Chapter 312
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 312.
The Airship.
A lost technology of Halpeon.
A gift bestowed by the gods upon their followers to achieve victory in the battle against the evil gods.
A technology so excessive that it was reclaimed once the war ended.
"Fire!"
Its power was now being unleashed.
The Airship, having appeared in the skies above Busan through spatial teleportation, flew directly above the enemy forces.
The cannons installed on the upper, middle, and lower decks of the Airship began to glow.
Kwaaaang!
—Kuaaaaak!
Without distinction between sky and ground, the magic cannons fired relentlessly.
Kwaaang!
A massive crater formed in the Dragon’s Land, and the Black Shadow members standing atop it vanished in an instant.
The sky was no different.
—Wh-what the hell is that crazy ship?!
—It’s just one vessel! Attack it!
—Even the executives died like that, what can we do… Kuaaak!
Members of Black Shadow who had been flying in the sky rushed toward the Airship.
But it was nothing short of suicide.
Yoo Baek-jun sneered.
"Idiots. Like moths to a flame?"
Countless magic missiles were fired from the deck of the Airship.
And then—explosions.
Boom! Boom!
The magic missiles streaking across the sky detonated, engulfing the charging Black Shadow members.
—Uwaaaak!
—Kuh! Damn it… What is this?!
Black Shadow members plummeted from the sky.
A few managed to break through the explosions and reach the Airship, but their attacks were blocked by its defensive barrier.
—Ha…….
A Black Shadow member let out a sigh closer to a lament before his body vanished.
And so, the single Airship that had appeared on the battlefield mercilessly slaughtered enemies on the ground and in the air.
"The monsters are like insects……."
"Reinforcements?! But I never heard about backup forces being prepared?"
"N-no. That thing. In the sky……."
Hunters were stunned by the sight.
Black Shadow members were attacking from the front, while monsters swarmed from behind.
It was a desperate crisis.
Caught off guard, they had suffered heavy losses while surrounded.
"Whoa… What is that?"
"A… flying ship?"
"What the hell am I looking at?"
The Airship turned the tide.
No one had ever seen a flying ship like that before, and it was hard to even comprehend the rapidly changing situation.
But one thing was certain.
"It’s the Sword Saint’s family."
That Airship was on their side.
Han Chang-gyu, a ranker known as the Magic Eye Shooter who had been supporting allies from the rear, said so.
"What? Why is that family here?"
"That means they’re allies!"
The emblem engraved on the Airship’s sail was unmistakably that of the Sword Saint’s family.
The morale of the hunters, which had been crushed in their desperate situation, began to rise.
'If that family is here…….'
'They must have prepared something, just like they did in Busan and Seoul.'
'Then we can still fight.'
Most hunters knew that the Sword Saint’s family had taken the lead in resolving the two calamities that had struck Korea.
Now they had appeared.
Surely, they had come prepared with something to resolve this crisis.
That was what everyone thought.
"Don’t just stand there! Now’s our chance! Drive those bastards back!"
"Attack from range! Those who can only fight close-quarters, block them from advancing! Don’t recklessly charge or…!"
Kwaaaang!
Blood Rin dealt with the monsters.
Meanwhile, the Airship rained ruthless bombardment upon the Black Shadow members.
"...If you don’t want to get caught in it—!"
Han Chang-gyu shouted loudly.
Thinking back to what Yoo Baek-jun had shown during the Great Invasion that had struck Seoul…
'There’s hope.'
They could overcome this crisis too.
With that belief, he swiftly sniped the panicking enemies.
* * *
Unlike those hunters, there was someone who was displeased with this situation.
"The Sword Saint’s family?!"
It was the upper echelons of the Association.
Those waiting in the rear command center grew furious upon hearing the situation.
"Why are those bastards here?!"
"Yoo Chae-jeong! That woman must have—!"
"We’re receiving a communication from the Sword Saint’s family! Wh-what should we do?"
"What kind of communication?! Ignore it!"
The people in the room were in an uproar.
Baek Jang-hyeon frowned, closed his eyes, and sank into thought.
"...That bastard again."
Yoo Baek-jun’s face came to mind.
His relaxed attitude. The way he had yelled at him to his face.
'He’s dangerous.'
The Sword Saint’s family wielded absolute, unchallengeable authority. On top of that, its family head was a hunter with power rivaling rankers.
'He might become an even more dangerous monster than Yoo Moo-hak.'
A monster that neither the Association nor the government dared to even think of controlling.
They had to stop him before that.
Baek Jang-hyeon’s mind grew tangled.
'Did Yoo Chae-jeong deceive me? No, but her hatred for the Sword Saint’s family is genuine. Then she was also used…'
What should he do?
What could he do in this situation to diminish the Sword Saint’s family’s power?
What move could he possibly make?
"...Han Chang-woo. Yes, Han Chang-woo."
Creeak.
The moment he ordered Han Chang-woo, the current face of the Hunter Association, to be summoned—
The command center’s door opened.
And beyond it, Chae Jeong-jun walked in slowly.
"Deputy Director Chae! What’s the situation outside? The Sword Saint’s family, those bastards—!"
"Do you have a plan—?!"
Chae Jeong-jun looked around the command center.
They had barely overcome a crisis where countless hunters could have died.
Yet the people here were more heated about the Sword Saint’s family than the situation itself.
'When did it come to this?'
It hadn’t been like this at first.
Back when the former Association chairman was around, they had vowed to lead the Association in a better direction.
They had been people who swore to do that.
'There’s no difference. This is…'
Himself.
And these people were no different from the former Association chairman and his faction, whom they had so despised.
Their behavior, drunk on power.
"……."
"What’s going on?"
Baek Jang-hyeon and Chae Jeong-jun’s eyes met, and a brief silence passed.
"Chairman."
Chae Jeong-jun swallowed hard. Then, steeling his resolve, he gestured.
As if waiting for the signal, hunters entered.
Familiar faces.
"You guys……."
Han Chang-woo’s comrades.
If they were here…
"……!"
Han Chang-woo was here too.
Drenched in blood, as if he had just been fighting monsters, Han Chang-woo stepped into the command center.
He stood behind Chae Jeong-jun.
"Chae Jeong-jun, what are you trying to do?"
"……."
Baek Jang-hyeon sensed something was wrong. And an unease about this situation.
That feeling wasn’t mistaken.
"You said there was a communication from the Sword Saint’s family earlier. Answer it."
"Huh? No, but—"
"Chae Jeong-jun! What are you doing?!"
Chae Jeong-jun didn’t even look at Baek Jang-hyeon as he spoke.
"I’m correcting a mistake."
"What?"
"You, Chairman, and everyone here—you’ve all lost your way. Blinded by power struggles…"
Grrind!
The sound of teeth grinding echoed.
"Do you not understand the situation? Have you not received reports? This is a disaster affecting the entire world. This country could be destroyed. And yet—!"
Chae Jeong-jun’s body trembled with rage as he glared at the people in the command center.
"You’re making such a disgraceful spectacle!"
"How dare you speak to the Chairman like—!"
"Chairman Baek Jang-hyeon. Is this the ‘righteous Association’ you spoke of?"
Chae Jeong-jun, who had ignored Baek Jang-hyeon until now, stared at him with venomous eyes.
As if he wanted to tear him apart.
"If this is what you all believe, then I can no longer follow you. I refuse to walk this wrong path."
"Then what do you intend to do?"
"Han Chang-woo!"
Han Chang-woo and his comrades stepped forward. Chae Jeong-jun spoke firmly.
"Arrest them all. Confine them underground so they can’t interfere with this matter!"
"Wh-what?!"
"Chae Jeong-jun! Have you lost your mind?!"
"Lost my mind?"
The people in the command center were swiftly restrained. There were hunters guarding the interior, but it was meaningless.
No one could stand against Han Chang-woo and his comrades.
Not even Baek Jang-hyeon.
"In a world where the blind lead, those who see are the abnormal ones."
Baek Jang-hyeon glared at Chae Jeong-jun as if he wanted to kill him, but Chae Jeong-jun only smiled bitterly.
"Take a look at yourselves. What difference is there between the blind fools of the past you so despised… and yourselves now?"
Han Chang-woo and his comrades dragged Baek Jang-hyeon and the other command center personnel away.
Shouts could be heard from outside, but they were soon drowned out by the sounds of battle.
"……."
Only the staff remained in the command center.
Chae Jeong-jun closed his eyes.
'He wasn’t like this before.'
Baek Jang-hyeon had been upright, someone worth following.
But power, and his misguided beliefs, had blinded him.
"...Deputy Director Chae, the Sword Saint’s family proposes a joint front."
"……."
The staff called his name.
Chae Jeong-jun opened his eyes.
"Tell them we’ll cooperate fully."
"Y-yes. Understood."
There was no turning back now.
Chae Jeong-jun locked eyes with Han Chang-woo, who returned shortly after, and nodded.
* * *
The descended Evil Dragon was perched atop the ruins of a temple in the Dragon’s Land.
To be precise—
It was preparing something.
"Evil Dragon, we are preparing the two rituals you requested. However, it will… take some time."
—It matters not. Take as much time as needed, but ensure it is done perfectly.
"Yes!"
The Evil Dragon gazed at the countless corpses scattered across the Dragon’s Land.
The corpses of dragons.
Fallen brethren who had been brutally defeated in the war against the gods.
—My brethren, our time shall come again. We, who were once destroyed, shall rise once more.
The Evil Dragon cast a spell, creating a mirror that reflected the entire world.
The corrupt power unleashed by the Evil Dragon could be seen sweeping across the globe.
Collapsing buildings, dying people.
But,
—Hmm…….
The fog that had been devouring everything in its path suddenly halted.
—Futile resistance.
Across the world, massive barriers of light had appeared at key locations, shielding people from the corrupt power.
The Evil Dragon scoffed at the sight.
—How… pitiful. To resist so meaninglessly.
They might buy a little time, but they wouldn’t last long.
The Evil Dragon looked down at its subordinates conducting the ritual.
—Once the ritual is complete…….
Its power would reach its peak, and the humans of this world would be annihilated.
In a world without the detestable ‘gods,’ that was possible.
Or so it thought.
Kwaaaang!
Until an earth-shaking roar resounded.
The Evil Dragon raised its head.
—What is this?
In its vision, beyond the Dragon’s Land, a portal had opened.
And the Airship emerging from it.
—That’s… an Airship!
The Airship flew in a straight line across the sky, slaughtering its forces.
Even from a distance, it was clear.
That Airship was imbued with an immense number of spells.
—Why is that abominable creation of the detestable ones here?!
The Evil Dragon roared in fury.
It could sense the traces of the vile gods on that Airship. For such a thing to exist in this world, not even Halpeon—
—This cannot be ignored. My children, focus your strength. We must destroy that Airship first.
—Yes.
Having fought the gods directly, the Evil Dragon understood the Airship’s power well.
An Airship possessed devastating destructive force. But it was far from invincible.
Black Shadow’s executives took to the skies in unison, flying toward the Airship.
But then—
—That…!
Just behind the Airship.
Something massive, concealed by a veil of darkness, began to reveal itself.
It was an island.
—…….
A floating island.
And as the hangars on its edges opened, what lay inside began to rise.
Eight more Airships.
Drrrr!
The cannons of those Airships locked onto the approaching dragonkin—
And fired in unison.
—Aah, Evil Dragon… Uwaaaak!
—Kyaaaak!
The screams were pitiful.
The Evil Dragon’s eyes widened as it listened to its dying kin.
—How dare you!
Something unforgivable, something that should never have happened, was unfolding.