I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 104

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 104.  

A magic circle drawn with intricate patterns. From it, a dazzling light erupted violently.  

The Soul Eater touched by that light writhed in agony.  

—Aaaaah… My, my power…….  

“Jin Seo-yeon! Bind it!”  

The Soul Eater, sensing something was wrong, tried to flee. But before it could, Yoo Baek-jun shouted at Jin Seo-yeon to cast a spell.  

Clang!  

Iron chains burst forth from the ceiling and floor, binding the Soul Eater’s entire body.  

The creature’s attempt to escape was thwarted.  

—What have you done, prey……?!  

“Enough with the ‘prey’ talk. It’s annoying to hear.”  

Yoo Baek-jun clicked his tongue and stepped forward.  

“It’s a custom magic circle I brought from my family. If my father finds out, he might scold me.”  

—How dare mere prey……. You exist only to be devoured by me……!  

The Soul Eater roared in fury.  

—Now that the fairy guarding the World Tree is gone… I’ll kill you all and devour those souls……!  

The Soul Eater raised its long gun.  

The ominous-looking weapon spewed black flames. Souls suddenly burst from the barrel, taking the form of bullets that hurtled toward Yoo Baek-jun.  

“Yoo Baek-jun!”  

“I’m fine! Just focus on keeping it bound!”  

Swish!  

Yoo Baek-jun swiftly deployed a sword barrier.  

A volley of bullets crashed against it, but some slipped through, piercing his body.  

Jin Seo-yeon, who had tried to help but was stopped, bit her lip and poured her energy into maintaining the spell.  

Whoosh!  

Meanwhile, the light from the magic circle grew even more intense.  

So did the Soul Eater’s agony.  

The monster staggered, trying to retreat.  

—Grrrrk! Souls, heed me!  

The Soul Eater fired its gun again—this time into the air.  

The souls that erupted from the barrel scattered in all directions before taking shape.  

—Grrrr…….  

Countless monsters in the form of beasts. The difference was that, unlike those created by the World Tree’s magic, these resembled undead.  

A transformation resulting from the souls the Soul Eater had absorbed and made its own.  

The countless souls that appeared around them quickly took form, turning into monsters.  

“Turrets!”  

As if he had been waiting for this, Yoo Baek-jun activated the turrets.  

The moving turrets began firing in unison at the monsters.  

—Kyaaaaak!  

Boom! Crash! 

The monsters were swept away, torn apart by the turrets the moment they took form.  

Jin Seo-yeon, watching, let out a small gasp of admiration.  

“So this is what you were preparing?”  

“Less admiration, more magic assimilation!”  

Yoo Baek-jun said as he charged forward, sword in hand, to prevent the Soul Eater from escaping the magic circle.  

“Prepare a big one! Make sure you can fire it on my command!”  

As Yoo Baek-jun approached, the Soul Eater swung its massive scythe in a wide arc.  

The diagonal slash came down, but Yoo Baek-jun twisted his body to evade.  

In that instant, the Soul Eater’s eyes gleamed.  

—Prey……!  

Its body glowed ominously.  

Then, raising the scythe high, it unleashed a furious barrage of attacks at blinding speed.  

“Hup!”  

The scythe came slashing. 

The moment Yoo Baek-jun deflected it, another strike came from the opposite direction.  

From all sides—up, down, left, right—the scythe strikes left no blind spot to evade.  

But what was even more astonishing—  

Clang! Clang!  

Yoo Baek-jun countered every single attack. As if he knew the trajectory of each strike before it came.  

Despite the lack of blind spots, he shifted his body minimally to dodge, and when evasion was impossible, he deflected it.  

He blocked every attack.  

‘Even seeing it, I can’t believe it.’  

An unbelievable feat of acrobatics.  

Even Jin Seo-yeon, who knew little about close combat, could only marvel at his movements.  

The combat senses inherited from the Blood of the Battle Demon allowed Yoo Baek-jun to predict the trajectories.  

—Kahahahaaa……!  

Realizing its relentless assault was futile, the Soul Eater suddenly fired its gun.  

The long gun at its waist spat flames, and a soul bullet shot toward Yoo Baek-jun.  

“Guh!”  

Yoo Baek-jun deployed his sword barrier but couldn’t withstand the impact, getting flung back.  

That was exactly what the Soul Eater wanted.  

—Hahahahaha……!  

It let out a maniacal laugh.  

A wave of white energy erupted from its body like a tidal wave—each wisp a soul. 

The massive wave of souls crashed down on Yoo Baek-jun.  

—Hahaha…….  

—Join us… become one with us…….  

The souls seized Yoo Baek-jun’s body.  

Instantly, his body went numb. Frozen, he couldn’t move a single finger.  

It was the Soul Eater’s wide-area paralysis skill.  

—Die……!  

Absorbing the surrounding souls, the Soul Eater charged at Yoo Baek-jun with terrifying speed.  

The scythe descended in an instant.  

Unable to move, he couldn’t dodge or block. The only thing he could move was his mouth.  

A smile curled at the corner of his lips.  

‘I already knew this would happen.’  

Yoo Baek-jun shouted at the top of his lungs.  

“Jin Seo-yeon!”  

Jin Seo-yeon stomped the ground with all her might.  

Magic surged, and in an instant, countless magic circles materialized in the air.  

Before the Soul Eater’s scythe could reach him—  

Kwaaaaang!  

—Uuuuugh……!  

The magic circles surrounding the Soul Eater unleashed a simultaneous bombardment. The intensity was nearly identical to the weapon fire from the magic weapons of the past.  

Souls clustered to protect its body, but they were obliterated in an instant.  

—Guh, aaaaah!  

The bombardment struck it head-on.  

The Soul Eater’s body was incredibly durable. 

It could withstand even fairly strong magic, but the power of the spells Jin Seo-yeon wielded was anything but ordinary.  

Its body staggered, unable to endure the impact.  

Crackle!  

In that same moment, the souls restraining Yoo Baek-jun vanished. The Soul Eater’s control had weakened momentarily, causing them to dissipate.  

Seizing the opportunity, Yoo Baek-jun charged forward. As he reached out, the Thunder Spear flew into his grasp.  

Kwaaaaang!  

The spear, crackling with lightning, roared.  

Yoo Baek-jun stepped forward and hurled it, the spiraling spear striking the Soul Eater.  

Right in its chest.  

—Keheok!  

The bone protecting its chest cracked.  

Confirming the damage, Yoo Baek-jun closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword with all his might.  

The Soul Eater hastily raised its scythe to block.  

—Roooar!  

“Ugh……!”  

Scythe and sword clashed.  

With a mighty heave of his bulging arm, Yoo Baek-jun forced the scythe upward.  

—No……!  

At that moment, Yoo Baek-jun discarded his sword without hesitation. Clenching both fists, he drove into the Soul Eater’s chest.  

—Guh, kehok!  

His fists lashed out like whips. Without even pausing to breathe, he unleashed a flurry of blows, each strike resounding with a satisfying crunch.  

His target: the crack in the Soul Eater’s chest.  

The fissure created by his earlier spear throw. He focused every strike on that single point.  

Crack! Snap!  

—Y-You… aaaah! 

The Soul Eater tried to counter by swinging its arms, but Yoo Baek-jun had already anticipated the move.  

He immediately unleashed Heavenly Chain Strikes. The afterimages struck the Soul Eater’s arms, preventing it from attacking.  

“Hah!”  

Its chest was left wide open.  

Yoo Baek-jun stretched out his right hand. The Thunder Spear returned to his grip, and he drove it straight into the crack.  

Then, with a powerful stomp, he focused his strength and pulled his right arm back to his waist.  

Kwaang!  

The final strike.  

His fist, like a loaded bullet, slammed into the spear’s shaft, driving it completely through the crack.  

Crack! 

The bone protecting the Soul Eater’s chest shattered into pieces.  

Behind it lay a massive orb.  

‘The Soul Eater’s core.’  

Similar to a lich’s phylactery.  

Yoo Baek-jun looked up. The Soul Eater’s scream was filled with despair.  

He pulled his arm far back, his fist glowing brilliantly with Amplification.  

Whoosh!  

Heavenly Destruction unleashed from his fingertips.  

A fiery dragon opened its maw and swallowed the core whole.  

The core trembled with a deafening roar as the Soul Eater shrieked in agony.  

Crack!  

—Kyaaaaaaaah!  

Finally, the Soul Eater’s core shattered.  

In that moment, the light in its pupils faded, and white souls burst forth from its body.  

The souls it had devoured.  

—Aaaaah… my soul…….  

With each soul that escaped, the Soul Eater twisted in agony.  

And when the last soul fled, cracks spread across its body before—  

Pssshhh…….  

—it crumbled into dust and vanished.  

Completely dead.  

“Hmph.”  

Yoo Baek-jun carelessly kicked aside the Soul Eater’s remains and collected the items.  

Its tattered cloak, long gun, great scythe, and a magic stone imbued with necromantic energy.  

A fairly satisfying haul.  

[Soul Eater (A)]  

An old long gun once wielded by a devourer of souls. It uses magic as bullets and can fire continuously without reloading.  

—Options: Focused Fire, Chilling Fear, Spiritual Domination  

*Focused Fire: Increases accuracy.  

*Chilling Fear: Enemies struck by the bullets experience intense chills, slowing their movements.  

*Spiritual Domination: Can fire bullets at corpses to manipulate them.  

[Necromancer’s Magic Stone (A+)]  

A magic stone containing the power of the Soul Eater, who enslaved and consumed countless souls.  

Holding it, one can hear the screams of souls.  

The long gun was particularly appealing.  

Though shaped like a firearm, it used magic as ammunition. No need for reloading or carrying bullets around.  

Perfect for storing in subspace.  

“Here, eat up.”  

Slurp.  

The subspace monster happily devoured it.  

Despite their appearances, the cloak and scythe were items meant for mages. 

Jin Seo-yeon had found them useful after clearing this event.  

She might as well take them.  

“Here. Use them yourself or give them to someone who can.”  

“Mhm.”  

Jin Seo-yeon accepted the cloak and scythe.  

She looked somewhat dazed, as if deep in thought.  

“What’s wrong?”  

“It’s just… was the enemy really this easy?”  

Jin Seo-yeon tilted her head, puzzled. 

The monster they had just faced was far from weak.  

Yet it had been dealt with too easily.  

“That’s thanks to me. Come on, say thank you already.”  

“Tha…thanks?”  

Still unconvinced, she tilted her head again as she gathered her magic.  

Yoo Baek-jun deactivated the turrets, and she voiced another doubt.  

“And it’s bothering me. How was an undead like this inside the World Tree?”  

“Maybe the World Tree revived it?”  

“No, the World Tree revives beings in their original, living forms. And strictly speaking, it’s not even a true resurrection.”  

Jin Seo-yeon shook her head.  

“It just allows souls to take form. And even that lasts only as long as the World Tree’s magic sustains them.”  

“Then there’s only one explanation, right?”  

Yoo Baek-jun was about to say something when—  

—Uwaaah… Huh?  

Seol-yeong, that had been wandering around with a fairy perched on its head, suddenly stopped.  

It halted in front of Yoo Baek-jun.  

“Did you have fun playing?”  

—Urk!  

—It wasn’t fun at all!  

The fairy screeched, but Yoo Baek-jun ignored it. In contrast, Seol-yeong looked thrilled.  

It seemed satisfied after running around to its heart’s content.  

Patting Seol-yeong’s head, Yoo Baek-jun muttered loud enough for Jin Seo-yeon to hear.  

“Someone must have brought the monster here.”  

Jin Seo-yeon’s eyes turned cold.