Chapter 75
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 75.
Looking around, Yoo Baek-jun saw the Magic Tower's mages and swordsmen working together to deal with the demons.
The same would be true for the other rooftops—hunters who had come as reinforcements would be holding the line against the demons.
‘We’re holding them off more easily than I expected.’
Especially Gaph.
That bastard was an exceptional warrior.
But he was far from being a competent commander. He was better suited to following orders than giving them, and his aggressive nature only proved that.
‘Still, he was a good fit for the vanguard.’
Mephisto’s choice wasn’t wrong.
After all, the humans shouldn’t have known about their invasion. A surprise attack was bound to succeed.
Then the plan was simple.
Send in those with the greatest destructive power, and annihilate everything before the humans could even regain their senses.
‘That must have been the plan.’
But things had gone terribly wrong.
Because Yoo Baek-Jun had anticipated and prepared for it.
If they hadn’t properly countered this Great invasion event, Gaph would have gone on a rampage like a madman in the first wave.
Seoul would have been completely destroyed.
“Now, just one left, huh?”
Only one Legion Commander remained.
The vampire Grimoire.
Yoo Baek-jun had already stationed Ryu Il-woo in the place where that bastard would likely appear. Since vampires are weak against divine power, he should be able to hold his own.
‘He should be able to hold out.’
I’d also told Chae Jeong-jun to have high-ranking hunters assist Ryu Il-woo.
They’d manage just fine on their own.
“Did you know?”
“What?”
Jin Seo-yeon suddenly asked.
“What kind of random question is that?”
“…….”
She stared intently at Yoo Baek-jun.
Her usually cold eyes were, for once, filled with curiosity.
But it was fleeting—the moment she blinked, all traces of that emotion vanished.
“…No, it’s nothing.”
“How boring. How’s the condition of the magic weapon?”
“It needs repairs, but it can still fire if needed. Though I don’t think we’ll need to.”
“Yeah, no need.”
Only a few demons remained in the sky.
Rather than wasting firepower on them, it was better to prepare for the second wave by repairing the artillery.
Having heard the answer, Jin Seo-yeon turned her back sharply, as if her job was done.
“…….”
Before the demons’ attack began, Jin Seo-yeon recalled what Yoo Baek-jun had said.
‘He told me to use magic to bind the demons so they couldn’t evade the weapon fire.’
It had been Yoo Baek-jun’s request.
She had followed it. And as a result of that action, the demons had recognized her, leading Gaph to come after her life.
‘The ability that demon possessed… Other hunters wouldn’t have been able to handle it easily.’
Yes, if it had been other hunters.
But the one who fought that demon was her. And the one who had set the stage for it was Yoo Baek-jun.
Was this a coincidence?
‘A genuine coincidence? Or…’
Did he know?
Jin Seo-yeon stared at Yoo Baek-jun’s back.
He was standing in front of Gaph’s corpse.
“Young Master, what should we do with this corpse?”
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun looked down at Gaph’s corpse.
He was an exceptional demon. There were plenty of ways to make use of his remains. But for now—
“Put his head on display.”
They needed to provoke the demons.
“But first, subdue all the demons that have entered the city. Everyone, gather up! We don’t have time to waste!”
Even though two Legion Commanders had been killed, the demons still outnumbered them, and the battle was far from over.
Only one Legion Commander remained.
‘Is it the first wave or the second…?’
There was no telling whether the Demon realm would invade with a time gap or immediately.
So they had to take down that last Legion Commander quickly.
Just as he was about to move—
KIIIIIIIING!
—an anomaly occurred.
A piercing, deafening noise. Yoo Baek-jun, as if entranced, looked up at the sky.
Jin Seo-yeon, standing beside him, did the same.
“That’s…”
“This is insane.”
A curse escaped his lips.
It couldn’t be helped.
“The sky!”
The sky was opening once again.
“So it was the second wave.”
Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue.
It was faster than expected. Far too fast.
* * *
The Dark Demon Realm.
Mephisto observed his own world.
The first invasion force had departed for the other world. The number of demons, which had once been near the limit, had significantly decreased.
Even during past invasions, when the 13 Legions had been reduced to 7, they hadn’t been able to replenish their numbers.
—Lord Mephisto, the final preparations are complete. We can depart at any time.
—Good…
A demon clad in chitinous armor, resembling a humanoid insect, approached him.
It was Haal, the 3rd Legion Commander.
—I wonder how the vanguard fared.
Mephisto let out something akin to a sigh.
The demon legions sent to the other world in the first wave numbered in the thousands.
Ideally, they wouldn’t have split into first and second waves but sent everything at once. However, the capacity of the Demon God’s path was limited, making that impossible.
—Gaph, Grimoire, and Severius are not weak. They must have succeeded.
—Yes, I know. They’ve been with me for a long time.
That was why he had sent them as the vanguard.
Aggressive and destructive. With their power, they should have shattered the other world’s defenses.
Perhaps they had even conquered it.
—Even if they failed…
Mephisto shook his head as if denying his own words.
But it was a possibility he couldn’t ignore.
—Even if they failed, that failure would lay the foundation for our resurgence.
—Yes, Lord Mephisto.
The surface of the Demon realm was densely inscribed with magical runes.
These were the runes used to construct the massive magic circle that encompassed the entire Demon realm.
—Now, we venture into an unfamiliar world.
Using the Demon God’s Jar, they could have ascended to the surface world.
But doing so wouldn’t have allowed all their kin to cross over, as it did now.
They had to create a fissure in the seal and exploit it to reach the surface.
‘I don’t know what is right. But…’
There was no turning back now.
The only option was to succeed by any means necessary.
—My brethren, watch over us.
Mephisto raised his staff high.
The magic circle on the ground glowed, and the demonic energy and souls contained within the massive Demon God’s Jar infused into the staff.
Then, the gate began to open.
A gate so enormous it could envelop the entire Demon realm.
—May glory be upon us.
A blinding light consumed their vision.
* * *
The sky was opening again.
This time, instead of multiple gates, a single massive gate appeared.
But its size was beyond comprehension.
“Wh-what? Why is there another gate…?”
“Didn’t we block them? Didn’t we stop them?! Why is this happening again?!”
The hunters panicked.
A gate of unprecedented scale had appeared just as they were savoring their victory.
The timing couldn’t have been worse.
The colossal gate cracked like shattering glass, and something emerged from within.
It was—
“Land?”
A massive piece of land.
As if a fragment of some distant world had been lifted and placed in the sky, a stretch of earth composed of black rock and soil materialized in midair.
“Wh-what is that?!”
The hunters gasped in unison.
Who could have anticipated something like this?
A landmass several times the size of Jong-no District now hovered over Seoul.
KIIIIING!
Demonic energy swirled beneath the floating landmass.
Like cannonballs, the condensed demonic energy multiplied endlessly before—
KWA-BOOOOOM!
—raining down upon the surface in a relentless bombardment.
An overwhelming barrage of attacks blanketed the ground, mirroring the Magic Tower’s assault on the demons in the first wave.
“Jin Seo-yeon!”
“I know!”
Yoo Baek-jun shouted urgently.
Hearing him, Jin Seo-yeon recited an incantation, and the ground beneath Seoul trembled as if resonating with something.
Then, an immense surge of magical energy erupted from the earth, instantly enveloping the city.
KWA-GWANG!
The emergency barrier restoration function.
Originally designed to use pre-installed magic stones to automatically repair damage, it could also repurpose all those stones to instantly reconstruct the barrier.
“Th-the barrier!”
“Did we make it?!”
The barrier protecting Seoul activated.
But the relentless bombardment hammered against it, shaking the shield precariously.
Soon, parts of the barrier began to crack.
“It’s breaking!”
As the barrier shattered, the bombardment poured through, ravaging the ground below.
“Aaaaah!”
People screamed.
Against an attack of that magnitude, they expected to be torn apart just like the barrier.
But before that could happen—
“Huh…? Wha—?”
“Th-the barrier?!”
Another barrier activated.
The defensive magic circles the Magic Tower had installed throughout Seoul under Yoo Baek-jun’s orders.
A secondary barrier had taken effect.
“Yoo Baek-jun, the surface is—”
“Don’t worry.”
Of course, compared to Seoul’s main barrier, its scale and defensive power were inferior.
But it was enough.
“They won’t have the energy to keep this up for long.”
Just as Yoo Baek-jun said, the bombardment, which had seemed on the verge of breaking through the makeshift barrier, soon ceased.
The ammunition for that attack was demonic energy—having just crossed over, they were running low.
But that didn’t mean there was no damage.
“The surface is wrecked.”
Yoo Baek-jun sighed.
Seoul, already in ruins, had been devastated further. The number of barrier generators was limited, and they had been prioritized for populated areas.
The situation was dire.
—So this is the world beyond?
Then, a voice echoed from the sky.
Yoo Baek-jun raised his head.
What he saw was a demon.
“Tch. Life never goes the way you want.”
A colossal figure loomed in the sky.
A demon with four pairs of grotesque wings, ashen-gray skin, and sharp horns.
A demon larger than a mountain.
The commander of the demons—Mephisto.
“Y-Young Master! That’s—!”
“Don’t panic.”
It was just an illusion, a projection to amplify his voice across the land.
Mephisto, the demon, surveyed the surface.
—Ah, it’s changed so much since I last saw it.
The first demonic invasion of Earth had been during the Joseon era. It was only natural that things were different now.
Back then, he had only observed from the underworld, but this time, he had arrived in that world himself.
Mephisto was lost in thought.
—Well, the vanguard… This is unexpected. I thought they would have caused significant damage by now.
The sight of ruined buildings. But there were still many humans alive.
The meaning was simple—the vanguard had failed.
Gaph, who had served him for so long, and the other Legion Commanders had failed.
But it didn’t matter.
—Humans of the other world, I am Mephisto, ruler of the Underworld of Halpeon. I command the 13 Legions and the demon kin who follow me.
The land of the Demon realm blotted out the sky, casting an inky darkness over the surface.
—There’s no need for lengthy words. We are an invading army, here to claim your land.
Mephisto spread his arms wide.
—Forgive me, humans. You’ve done no wrong, but for the survival of our kin…
“Ugh, he talks too much. Disgusting.”
Just then, a bolt of lightning shot up from the ground.
Yoo Baek-jun’s spear.
The weapon that had streaked across the sky returned to his hand.
Mephisto’s gaze turned to him.
—You…
"Why the hell are you so damn chatty?"
Mephisto, the longest-living demon and commander of seven legions in the Demon realm.
He was one of the monsters ‘I’ hated the most in Heroes Road because of his habit of justifying himself with pointless words.
‘Let’s provoke him first.’
Yoo Baek-jun glanced toward the rooftop of a building.
“Take a good look at your kin.”
He gave a slight nod.
Following his order, the swordsmen unveiled what had been hidden beneath a tarp.
The corpses of demons.
The Legion Commanders Mephisto had cherished were now displayed like trophies.
—…!
“Hey, take a good look. That’s your future.”
Mephisto’s face twisted in rage.
He cared deeply for his kin.
While other demons did as well, his attachment was particularly strong.
There was no way he could endure seeing them like this.
—You’ve committed an unforgivable act…!
Mephisto bared his fangs.