Chapter 521
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 521
Chapter Title: Throne Succession
The Lion King's will echoed across the atmosphere of the ruined world.
All eyes, all hopes were fixed on one man alone: Lee Hyuk-soo.
His sole successor, awaited through endless eons.
The one who would inherit everything from him and bring an end to this tiresome life as a lingering specter.
Lee Hyuk-soo met the skull upon the throne with resolute eyes.
He gripped his sword tightly.
The great being who had lent him his power.
To surpass him was a cruel trial, but he had no intention of fleeing.
If it was his destiny, he would embrace it gladly.
It was right then.
Thud.
A footstep rang out with piercing clarity amid the silent ruins.
It was Park Chan-woo.
Without a word, he passed by Lee Hyuk-soo's side and took a single step forward.
It was just a casual stride, utterly indifferent—yet the moment he moved, every law governing this shattered planet seemed to scream in agony.
The deathly aura permeating the air recoiled in terror before his divinity, while the flow of time warped around him, crushing space itself.
【……!】
For the first time, the Lion King's hollow gaze trembled violently.
All his consciousness zeroed in on the bizarre entity standing before him.
Not Lee Hyuk-soo, but this blasphemous intruder who dared interpose himself in the sacred rite between him and his successor.
At first, it was bewilderment.
And in the next instant, a forgotten emotion from eons past—"shock"—slammed into his skull.
'Wait. How...'
It was bizarre, if he thought about it.
How had he even reached this place?
This was the Forgotten World.
A realm of oblivion, sunk beyond the river of time—erased from all coordinates, unreachable by any warp or spell.
The sole sanctuary and prison where ancient beings like himself had hidden from the eyes of the world.
Yet this human had ignored every law, torn through the walls of space with his bare hands, and stepped inside as naturally as if entering his own bedroom.
The master of the new world, Park Chan-woo.
Even his authority extended to this ruined realm.
Something impossible without being the true lord of the Abyss.
【……】
Perhaps.
This scene might turn into a one-sided "plunder."
He marshaled every sense, every scrap of remaining power, to gauge the "rank" of the being called Park Chan-woo.
And despaired.
There was no end in sight.
It was like a pond trying to fathom the ocean's depths—his every comprehension, every law rendered meaningless before this entity.
To fight would mean certain defeat.
An overwhelming gap in rank that permitted no resistance whatsoever.
Park Chan-woo merely stared silently at the Lion King's crown—at the "Age of Wolves" emanating an ominous lupine aura from its core.
That wordless gaze bore down on the Lion King more fiercely than any threat.
As if to say...
...why should I have to wait?
In the end, it was the Lion King who knelt first.
This was no bargain or negotiation.
It was the final plea of the defeated to the victor.
Park Chan-woo's eyebrow twitched faintly, as if intrigued.
The Lion King pointed to the "Age of Wolves" with his skeletal hand of bare bone.
Deep sorrow laced his voice.
He was prepared to accept that end.
His existence had been a long vigil for vengeance; with a successor to wield that blade, he harbored no further regrets.
The Lion King's gaze shifted between Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo.
His plea was for time.
A brief moment to fully impart his final flame to his successor.
Park Chan-woo peered silently into his eyes.
And there, after so long, he glimpsed the figure of a lonely king from before his regression—the one who had shouldered everything alone in battle.
"Very well."
Park Chan-woo nodded.
For such a reason, he was willing to wait.
A stronger Lee Hyuk-soo would ultimately prove far more useful to him.
For the first time, genuine gratitude colored the Lion King's will.
He turned back toward Lee Hyuk-soo.
Park Chan-woo took a step back.
Shing!
Lee Hyuk-soo drew the Lion King's greatsword.
Lee Hyuk-soo had grown stronger.
He had crossed countless brushes with death, emerged from the inferno of the tribal war that threatened humanity's extinction.
His sword was incomparably sharper and more unyielding than before.
The tribal representative on the brink of ruin had even elevated his power another step.
Through the tribal war's blessing, he had finally shattered the 99-level wall choking humanity—and his growth showed no signs of stopping even now.
He stood as humanity's truest strongest sword, a rising star in the Abyss.
But it wasn't enough.
Lee Hyuk-soo knew his limits better than anyone.
No matter how he struggled, there was one being forging far ahead.
...Park Chan-woo's back grew ever more distant.
The prophet, his master, and now the sole god he served.
His realm had long surpassed what any mortal could fathom.
He just wanted to follow.
To remain a useful sword in that vast world of his.
To do that, he had to grow stronger still.
Boom!
Lee Hyuk-soo's sword clashed head-on with the Lion King's blade of bare bone.
A roar like the planet's atmosphere tearing asunder erupted, the shockwave from their colliding powers shaking the entire wasteland.
First clash. Evenly matched.
But as the second, third exchanges followed, the balance began to crumble.
The Lion King's strikes seemed slow and simplistic, yet they brimmed with the wisdom and cunning honed over eons.
Every attack traced the most efficient path; every defense anticipated Lee Hyuk-soo's next move.
In contrast, Lee Hyuk-soo's sword was ferocious and explosive—but laden with too much unnecessary force and emotion.
Clang! Kakakang!
After dozens of passes, the Lion King finally spoke.
"...!"
Those words made Lee Hyuk-soo's sword waver for an instant.
The Lion King did not miss that fleeting opening.
Slash!
The bony blade grazed his shoulder.
Not deep, but a chilling sensation reached the bone, pain spreading as flesh tore.
Lee Hyuk-soo swallowed a scream and retreated to create distance.
Disappointment tinged the Lion King's voice.
The critique was spot-on.
Ever since awakening to the Lion King's power during the tribal war, Lee Hyuk-soo had unconsciously aped his style of combat.
Binding foes with shadows, ambushing from the dark.
He had believed it the most potent, efficient force.
Yet the Lion King before him hadn't used shadow powers even once.
He overwhelmed with pure swordsmanship alone.
Clutching his wounded shoulder, Lee Hyuk-soo voiced the doubt buried deep in his heart.
"You yourself...! Weren't you Aheta's apostle in the past?"
Aheta had said as much.
That the Lion King was his apostle.
The Lion King burst into incredulous laughter.
Anger blazed in the Lion King's gaze.
All the darkness of the ruined world began gathering behind him.
It wasn't mere shadow. This was...
His colossal form merged as one with the darkness.
Not domination, but "inheritance."
As king, he had shouldered every pain and sorrow of his people alone, forging their final rage into his sword.
That was the Lion King's true power.
Before that immense weight of grief, Lee Hyuk-soo was at a loss for words.
He realized how shallow his misunderstanding had been.
The Lion King leveled his sword at Lee Hyuk-soo.
Rumble!
Centered on the Lion King, the world's shadows surged like a tsunami toward Lee Hyuk-soo.
The screams of billions of vengeful spirits, the wails of burning cities, the death throes of a collapsing sky—all blended into pure chaos.
The devouring wave of darkness engulfed his very being.
Lee Hyuk-soo's consciousness seemed to sink into the deepest abyss of the ruined world.
He thought it was over.
But he did not die.
Instead, an uncanny peace enveloped him.
He opened his eyes amid the darkness.
And beheld.
The billions of faint souls encircling him.
They no longer screamed or spat grudges.
They simply gazed at him with sad, gentle eyes.
The Lion King spat bitterly.
He regarded Lee Hyuk-soo once more and spoke.
The Lion King's final question.
A test—and a warning.
This path was glory, but also a bed of thorns.
An eternal shackle, impossible to set down once taken up.
Are you truly prepared to accept it all?
Lee Hyuk-soo didn't hesitate.
"I've intended that from the start."
His voice was low, but firm as unyielding rock.
"My master always said power means responsibility. I've never once sought power alone, without bearing its burdens."
Those words left the Lion King puzzled instead.
Over endless eons, he had witnessed countless beings.
Those who craved power, lusted for dominion, discarded all to climb higher.
He had believed that life's instinct—the world's sole law.
Yet this successor before him defied it outright.
Deep confusion infused the Lion King's will.
The Lion King had seen it.
The infinite potential latent in Lee Hyuk-soo's soul.
His unyielding conviction and unbreakable will held the makings of a true sovereign, capable of uniting and leading all in the Abyss someday.
A question bordering on rebuke.
A serene smile curved Lee Hyuk-soo's lips.
"He... is no ordinary king."
With unwavering eyes, he continued.
"He is the direction itself. The beacon illuminating our path, the sky embodying the values we must never forget. Serving that great one, becoming his sword to cleave all darkness barring the way... that is enough for me."
That was Lee Hyuk-soo's conclusion.
His role. His reason for being.
With Park Chan-woo as the absolute sun, he would gladly become his most loyal planet, orbiting faithfully.
But the Lion King could not grasp that sublime loyalty.
The Lion King's will cooled to ice.
He made no effort to hide his contempt.
The Lion King passed judgment.
One unfit for kingship could not receive all he had.
"I've never asked you to hand it over."
Lee Hyuk-soo murmured lowly.
"Not once."
His will was ironclad.
He straightened his staggering form and stared down the ancient king rejecting him.
"I've never intended to beg for your power."
"I'll take it."
Lee Hyuk-soo readjusted his grip on his sword.
Crimson shadows—now fully his own—flared up like flames across his body.
"I'll defeat you and seize everything you have with my strength. Not through begged inheritance, but conquered transcendence!"
Not as a mere heir receiving the Lion King's power—but reborn as the sword of a new era, transcending the old.
Just as his master had.
Instead of submitting to outdated laws, he would forge his own path.
The Lion King's will froze for a moment.
He had expected him to kneel and beg mercy.
To cling in fear of losing power.
But Lee Hyuk-soo delivered an answer beyond all prediction.
After a long silence, a hollow laugh escaped the Lion King's will.
The laughter shook the entire ruined planet.
The Lion King's gaze blazed brighter than ever.
He resolved to yield everything gladly.
This arrogant successor's challenge would be his final amusement.
How much time had passed?
Lee Hyuk-soo's sword pierced the Lion King's chest.