Chapter 336
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 336.
The blade wreathed in aura pierced precisely through the Lord of Rifts's heart.
Paaat! A brilliant light spread, and the power contained within it destroyed the heart.
Then, it spread throughout the entire body, completely disintegrating the Lord of Rifts's form.
—Huh, keuh! Kkeueueuk……!
The Lord of Rifts let out a pained groan. An agony he had never felt before seized his mind.
His bloodshot eyes glared at Yoo Baek-jun.
—You… bastard…!
To be precise, at the massive Aura behind Yoo Baek-jun.
To the Lord of Rifts, that aura seemed to take on a familiar form.
A form he recognized.
—How… you…
“What, did you see a ghost or something?”
Yoo Baek-jun took a deep breath and swung his sword once more.
Tiny cracks began to form on the disintegrating body. Starting from those cracks, the Martial God’s body could no longer hold and began to shatter.
—Ugh…!
The seal that had been restraining the Lord of Rifts was also destroyed.
Since the medium maintaining the seal had been destroyed, it was only natural for the seal to break.
—Kuaaaaah!
From the shattered body of the Martial God, black energy erupted wildly.
The energy tried to coalesce and take shape but failed.
—I’m… dying…
The Lord of Rifts realized.
The Martial God’s body had been destroyed, and the backlash of the seal had dealt a fatal blow to his own origin.
‘Recovery… no, recovery is impossible.’
There was no way to bring back the dead.
The seal created by the Martial God was similar to how ‘I’ had been possessed by Yoo Baek-jun.
It forced the Lord of Rifts to possess him, ensuring that if the Martial God died, the Lord of Rifts would die as well.
‘Trapped in this body… like this.’
The Martial God’s body had been destroyed and died.
That death also applied to the sealed Lord of Rifts, and the Lord of Rifts was dying alongside him. Without a doubt.
—I’m dying! Me!
“Hmm…!”
The rift behind him glowed and absorbed the Martial God’s body.
The black energy leaking from it was also sucked into the rift.
The Lord of Rifts sensed his own death.
And that there was no way to reverse it.
—No!
The Lord of Rifts, being pulled into the rift, let out a furious roar.
The rift was closing.
—You think… I’ll die… like this?
Grind—
The sound of teeth grinding echoed.
The black energy, which had been scattering helplessly, desperately coalesced.
Amid the barely formed black energy, red eyes appeared.
‘I can’t maintain my form. Then, I’ll use the Martial God’s body…!’
The black energy escaping from the Martial God returned to his body.
The black energy corroded the crumbling body of the Martial God, forcibly stitching it together.
—Absolutely… not like this…
The blackened hands of the Martial God grabbed the edges of the closing rift.
A futile struggle to buy just a little more time. But it was enough.
—This won’t be the end!
The rift behind the Lord of Rifts was absorbing him, but it wasn’t enough.
The Lord of Rifts squeezed out his last strength to take form.
—I’ll leave an irreversible scar on this dimension. And then…!
A black wave spread from the barely formed Lord of Rifts.
Crack!
The space touched by the wave split, revealing rifts.
The newly opened rifts began absorbing everything around them.
—Kyaaaaaah!
—Guh, guheee…!
Living creatures were the first to be lifted. They were swallowed by the rifts as if being sucked into a black hole.
And vanished without a trace.
“Ugh, aaaaah!”
“What the hell is that… Damn it! Everyone, hold onto the ground tightly! Don’t let go!”
“I-Is that a gate?”
“Does that look like a gate to you? Hold on tight! If you get sucked in, who knows where you’ll end up!”
A gate is a door to another world.
If it were an ordinary gate, being swallowed would take you to another dimension, and you could return by completing a quest.
But this wasn’t that. Experienced hunters could feel it.
“Tch! You crazy bastard!”
Yoo Baek-jun was astonished.
Who would’ve thought he’d still refuse to die and resort to a last-ditch struggle in this state.
‘For now, people are holding on, but they won’t last long.’
The more rifts there were, the stronger the absorbing force would become.
Then, no one would be able to resist.
‘And if this continues…’
The black wave was trying to extend its influence beyond the barrier.
If that happened, everything in the vicinity would be absorbed.
There was no telling how far its influence would reach.
‘What… should I do…’
Yoo Baek-jun thought of a way.
A way to completely eliminate the Lord of Rifts in his final struggle.
“Yoo Baek-jun.”
“…….”
His eyes met Yoo Moo-hak’s.
At that moment, Yoo Baek-jun realized what he had to do.
—You too!
Countless eyes appeared, staring at Yoo Baek-jun. Black energy constricted him, and a rift opened before him.
Beyond it, there was nothing. Only pitch-black darkness.
—I’ll send you to the crevice between dimensions. There, you’ll wander for eternity!
The rift slowly opened its maw.
The tremendous force emanating from it pulled Yoo Baek-jun in.
If this continued, he’d be sucked into the rift, into that abyssal darkness.
—Become my companion in death…!
“No. That won’t happen.”
Then, Yoo Moo-hak, who had collapsed beside Yoo Baek-jun, staggered to his feet.
His body was riddled with countless fatal wounds, blood endlessly flowing.
Like the Lord of Rifts, Yoo Moo-hak was rapidly dying.
Yoo Baek-jun threw the White Sword, and Yoo Moo-hak caught it as if he’d been waiting.
Swoooosh…
Aura flowed from him, absorbed by the White Sword.
“Go, fulfill… your final role.”
The White Sword, having absorbed all of Yoo Moo-hak’s aura, flew toward the rift.
Toward the rift behind the Lord of Rifts.
Then—
—Huhk!
The White Sword released all its energy, which took form.
The same form the Lord of Rifts had seen behind Yoo Baek-jun earlier.
The form of the Martial God.
—Martial… God!
The White Sword pierced the Lord of Rifts once more.
Through that wound, all the energy within the White Sword was absorbed.
—You bastard, this is, surely…!
—In the past, I was defeated by you. As were the comrades who believed in and followed me.
The Martial God looked beyond.
At his comrades, struck down by Yoo Baek-jun’s hand. The Lord of Rifts had desecrated even their deaths.
—Now, I will have my revenge.
—Kueuk!
The crumbling body of the Martial God moved against the Lord of Rifts’s will.
The original owner, the Martial God, had returned to his own body.
—You wanted a companion in death?
The seal was broken, and the Lord of Rifts was expelled from the Martial God’s body.
Because of that, the ownership of the body the Lord of Rifts had held was returned to the Martial God.
The Martial God didn’t miss his chance.
—You won’t be lonely, Lord of Rifts. I’ll be your companion!
—You madman!
—Yoo Baek-jun!
The White Sword that had pierced the Lord of Rifts returned to Yoo Baek-jun’s grasp.
He charged forward, sword in hand.
Swish!
He severed the Martial God’s hands gripping the rift’s entrance.
The Lord of Rifts tried to resist, but the Martial God prevented him from moving.
—Ah, no. This can’t be, this…
With the grip gone, the rift’s entrance began closing rapidly.
At the same time, the Lord of Rifts was expelled from the Martial God’s body. He desperately tried to reach the entrance, but—
It was already too late.
—Kuaaaaah!
The black energy forming his body scattered completely.
Before he could even reach the entrance, the Lord of Rifts’s form vanished entirely.
That was the end.
Swoooosh!
The rift closed swiftly.
Beyond it, the Martial God’s body disappeared into the space filled only with darkness.
Even the body, which had been forcibly maintained by the Lord of Rifts’s power despite being dead, crumbled into fragments and vanished.
—I dragged innocent people into this. At the very least, I’ll end this with my own hands…
The Martial God looked at Yoo Baek-jun.
A faint smile touched his lips.
—Yoo Baek-jun, no, ‘ ’.
Through the tiny remaining gap in the rift.
—Thank you. Now, go back to your world…
The Martial God’s final words were heard.
Then, the rift closed. The Martial God beyond it was no longer visible.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun felt an indescribable mix of emotions. He stared at where the rift had been for a long time.
“T-The gate is closed!”
“Report the damage! Hurry!”
The black wave created by the Lord of Rifts vanished without a trace.
The rifts that had absorbed everything closed as if they’d never existed.
All the creatures that had filled the ground had been absorbed and disappeared.
‘It’s really…’
The black barrier covering the sky faded. Beyond it, a clear sky slowly became visible.
The blinding sunlight made Yoo Baek-jun grimace.
“L-Lord Yoo Moo-hak!”
“Snap out of it! Lord Yoo Moo-hak!”
Then, a scream was heard.
Around Yoo Moo-hak, the swordsmen of the Sword Saint family had gathered.
Among them was Ja-yeon.
“…It’s already too late.”
“Huh?”
The swordsmen frantically tried to treat Yoo Moo-hak, but Ja-yeon stopped them.
She had no choice.
“He’s gone.”
“That can’t be…”
Yoo Moo-hak was already dead.
The wounds he’d sustained were fatal beyond recovery.
Moreover, he’d forced himself to move in that state and transferred all his energy to the White Sword.
That must have shortened his remaining lifespan.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun stood before the corpse.
Yoo Moo-hak, who had helped the Martial God turn back time for so long, had died without leaving any last words.
‘Is he satisfied?’
Yoo Baek-jun couldn’t know.
All he could do was hope in his heart that this was the ending Yoo Moo-hak had wanted.
Just like the Martial God.
“Family head…”
Han Seong-ah looked at Yoo Baek-jun with concern. He raised his head.
“First, assess the damage and treat the injured. And as for Father… preserve his body.”
“…Yes, I’ll inform the Magic Tower.”
Yoo Baek-jun removed the Black Ghost robe he was wearing and covered Yoo Moo-hak’s body with it.
He turned away.
There was still work left.
“Ugh, uhh… uueeeh……”
Near where the Lord of Rifts had been, a man knelt on the ground, clutching his head.
Overlord.
Yoo Baek-jun approached him.
“Hey, snap out of it.”
Overlord’s head was hanging low.
Forcing his head up, Yoo Baek-jun saw his dull eyes, which looked terribly off.
“Get a hold…”
Slap!
Yoo Baek-jun’s hand struck Overlord’s cheek.
“...Of yourself!”
“Keuh!”
A fist slammed into Overlord’s face.
Unable to withstand the impact, Overlord rolled across the ground pitifully.
There was no need to hit him. No need, but he wanted to.
“After all the trouble you’ve caused, you’re making people suffer for no reason.”
If Overlord had just explained things kindly when he brought ‘him’ here.
And if he hadn’t been controlled by the Lord of Rifts, things would’ve been much easier now.
“Guh, kueeehk……”
Overlord still hadn’t regained his senses.
Remembering what he’d said earlier in the Tower of the Martial God, Yoo Baek-jun considered hitting him again. But just as he was about to—
“…Huhk!”
Overlord’s eyes flew open.
The dull haze in his pupils suddenly cleared, and intelligence returned.
“You… where is this……”
“Finally coming to your senses?”
Overlord looked around blankly.
After a long moment, he finally grasped the situation.
“Did you… kill the Lord of Rifts?”
Yoo Baek-jun nodded instead of answering.
Overlord let out a sigh.
He tried to say something but felt the gazes directed at him.
Everyone here was looking at Overlord with suspicion.
“…This isn’t the place.”
Overlord clapped his hands loudly.
Then—
“Where…?”
The scenery changed.
From the plains scarred by battle to a blank white space devoid of anything.
Overlord stood there.
And beside him—
“You two……”
Yoo Moo-hak and the Martial God as well.
Yoo Baek-jun was momentarily speechless.