I Became the Successor of the Martial God Chapter 130

I Became the Successor of the Martial God

Chapter 130.  

After the Great Invasion ended in a horrific failure, Carousel led her kin in retreat.  

Dreaming of the demons’ reconstruction, she prepared while making contact with various factions.  

—Of all people, to be deceived by these bastards…  

She had been naïve. 

Foolish.  

Having spent so long in the demon realm, she had forgotten the true nature of humans—had lost touch with reality.  

Carousel was tricked by the Cult of Resurrection, who promised to help, and was captured. She had been imprisoned here ever since.  

What followed were days of endless experimentation.  

—Just… kill me…….  

She would rather die.  

The experiments were agonizing, and watching her kin perish was unbearable.  

The sight of humans transforming into demons by ingesting their blood was equally revolting.  

“That’s not an option. You’re still far too useful. Your blood, your flesh—all of it.”  

—How far do you intend to humiliate us?!  

“Humiliate? Heh, do you even have any honor left to be humiliated? Listen here, demon.”  

The director sneered openly.  

“You’re invaders who tried to conquer this world. And yet, you suffered a crushing defeat. Isn’t this outcome just natural, beyond mere humiliation?”  

—Bullshit!  

“Hmph, we’ll see about that.”  

Carousel was connected to various experimental devices. The director eyed them greedily before placing his hand on a switch.  

—W-wait! Stop that…!  

“The people who died by your hands would rejoice to see you suffer like this.”  

—GAAAAAAAH!  

The devices activated, forcibly draining Carousel’s blood before injecting an unknown liquid into her veins.  

An unspeakably gruesome scene.  

The director turned away as if accustomed to it.  

“We’re proceeding with a new experiment today. The current Metamorphosis serum is unstable—it needs to be stabilized.”  

“Understood, Director.”  

The director looked at his own hand.  

The wrinkled hand of an old man. His research was driven by the desire to overcome aging.  

The Metamorphosis serum was merely a tool for his goal.  

Once it was stabilized and the side effects eliminated, he planned to undergo demonification himself.  

“Bring them.”  

“Y-yes… Ugh?!”  

KABOOOM!  

Suddenly, the lab shook violently.  

A deafening explosion rocked the facility, followed by tremors that rattled the entire structure.  

The director scowled.  

“What’s happening?!”  

“Q-quick, report! What’s going on?!”  

—We’re under attack… AAAAAH!  

A panicked staff member radioed in, only to be met with horrific screams.  

The transmission cut off moments later.  

“An attack?!”  

“An attack?! By whom?!”  

“I-I don’t know! Director, please—hurry this way!”  

The staff member frantically led the director away, heading for the lab’s safe room—a space designed to protect against external threats.  

“Contact the Cult immediately! Demand reinforcements—now!”  

“I-I’m trying! But…!”  

The staff member lowered the receiver helplessly.  

“Communications… are jammed.”  

“What?!”  

“A-and the emergency exit… enemies are waiting there.”  

The director paled as he checked the monitor.  

The CCTV feed showed multiple figures stationed at the emergency exit.  

“H-how?! This was top secret!”  

“Y-yes! No one should’ve known about this…!”  

A chill ran down the staff member’s spine.  

It was as if the enemy knew the facility’s layout perfectly.  

The director gritted his teeth.  

“Is there a traitor among us?”  

“That’s the most likely explanation.”  

“Damn it! Survival comes first. Bring the test subjects! They’ll protect me. Release the rest to hold off the enemy!”  

“Yes!”  

The safe room housed high-level demons prepared for emergencies—the strongest among the lab’s creations.  

The staff member flipped a switch, causing the wall to slide open and reveal multiple capsules.  

PSSSHHH!  

The demons emerged, their eyes vacant, devoid of reason.  

“Protect me.”  

“…….”  

Silently, they surrounded the director, who bit his lip nervously.  

The staff member checked the CCTV.  

“What about outside?!”  

“J-just a moment… Nothing—!”  

“What?”  

“Nothing’s showing up! It’s like someone’s blocking it!”  

The staff member screamed in panic.  

The CCTV feeds had gone black, as if deliberately obscured.  

An eerie silence fell over the safe room.  

A dreadful silence.  

—SCREEEECH!  

—Guh… Gah…!  

Screams echoed from outside.  

Then, the sounds of dying.  

And those sounds… were drawing closer.  

“Huff… Huff…!”  

The noise stopped abruptly just outside. The director exhaled shakily.  

‘Th-there’s no way they’d find this place.’  

There was a faint sense of someone lingering near the door. But the safe room was so well-hidden that even insiders struggled to locate it.  

Let alone outsiders.  

‘That’s right… The safe room’s location is—’  

Just then—  

The presence outside drifted away from the entrance.  

The suffocating silence returned.  

They hadn’t found the entrance.  

Just as the director began to relax—  

KABOOOM!  

“Guh—?!”  

The door exploded inward.  

Debris scattered in all directions as dust filled the air.  

Through the haze, a figure emerged—a man clad head to toe in concealing attire.  

“Enemy! Kill him! Now!”  

The demons stepped forward at the command.  

Their bodies began transforming—exoskeletons sprouted, wings unfurled, limbs twisted into grotesque weapons.  

Yoo Baek-jun took a deep breath.  

“Hup!”  

He surged forward like a bolt of blue lightning, his right fist wreathed in swirling energy.  

His punch struck the lead demon square in the abdomen.  

CRACKLE!  

“Guh…!”  

The released energy morphed into countless blades, shredding the demon before lashing out at those behind.  

Yoo Baek-jun immediately drew his Soul Eater gun and fired.  

Soul bullets spread wide, chilling the enemies and slowing their movements.  

“Grrk!”  

He charged into the disoriented horde, slipping into the embrace of a particularly massive demon.  

THUD!  

His amplified fist slammed into its gut, lifting the massive body momentarily.  

Pivoting on his left foot, he swung his right leg like a soccer kick.  

BOOM! 

Thunder roared.  

“GAAAH!”  

The demon’s torso folded as it was sent flying, crushing others under its weight.  

Yoo Baek-jun unleashed Heavenly Chain Strikes. Clones split from him, systematically executing the fallen demons.  

‘Too fast! He might even surpass demons!’  

The watching director was aghast.  

Unbelievable strength, impossible speed—it was like watching a top-tier hunter.  

And for good reason.  

Yoo Baek-jun was currently buffed to the extreme—Berserker, Cold aura, Demon Hunter—all stacked upon him.  

“GYAAAAH!”  

“Guh… Ugh!”  

Against anything else, he might not be this overwhelming—but when hunting ’demons,’ Yoo Baek-jun was unmatched.  

He obliterated a demon’s head.  

“Eek… Hiiick!”  

Blood sprayed everywhere.  

Drenched in gore, Yoo Baek-jun scanned the area—only the director and staff remained.  

“D-don’t come closer!”  

Yoo Baek-jun advanced slowly.  

Drip, drip! 

Blood fell with each step. 

The director screamed, pulling out a gun. He fired desperately—  

“Y-you monster…!”  

But the bullets were halted by the energy enveloping Yoo Baek-jun’s fist.  

His combat instincts, honed by the Blood of the Battle Demon, allowed him to predict trajectories just by observing the gun’s angle.  

Yoo Baek-jun shot the director’s knee.  

“AAAAAH!”  

The director collapsed, his kneecap gone. Yoo Baek-jun grabbed his throat, hauling him up.  

Backlit by the light, his silhouette resembled a demon’s.  

“Found you, you bastard.”  

“P-please—!”  

CRACK!  

The director’s plea was cut short by the sound of his neck snapping.  

Yoo Baek-jun tossed the limp corpse aside.  

“Shouldn’t have played these sick games. You’d still be alive otherwise.”  

He turned to the staff member—already unconscious.  

Han Seong-ah arrived just then.  

“Young Master! You shouldn’t act alone like this.”  

“I handled it fine. Deal with this one too.”  

“Understood.”  

Some might call it excessive, but these people deserve no mercy.  

They had kidnapped countless humans and other races for horrific experiments.  

This was simply their reckoning.  

“Hmm…”  

Yoo Baek-jun stared at the blackened CCTV screen, lost in thought.  

A lab like this should have fairies.  

“This way, maybe?”  

“Young Master, where are you going?”  

“Need to find something.”  

He headed for the lab.  

Rows of animal-like cages filled the space, reeking of rotting corpses.  

“Disgusting bastards.”  

“Right. So don’t waste sympathy on these researchers. They deserved worse than death.”  

Inside the cages, were abandoned corpses.

After a thorough search, Yoo Baek-jun found what he sought.  

—…….  

“These are…”  

Tiny spirits huddled inside—fire, water, wind—all kinds, each radiating hatred, fury, and wariness.  

—Human…  

—Going to hurt us again?  

—It hurts, it hurts. Stop it now…

Han Seong-ah frowned.  

Such cruel words from small, adorable spirits.  

Yoo Baek-jun agreed.  

“I’m not here to hurt you.”  

—Liar. Humans… can’t trust them.  

“Still think so after seeing this?”  

He showed his hand.  

Though blank to normal eyes, spirits could see the mark—proof of invitation to the spirit realm, a symbol of trust.  

—This is…  

—Friend? Friend?  

“I can take you somewhere safe. Will you come, or stay?”  

The spirits exchanged glances.  

The mark made him trustworthy, but their trauma made trust difficult.  

Anticipating this, Yoo Baek-jun produced a necklace woven from World Tree branches.  

“I’ll take you to where this comes from.”  

—…….  

They sensed the World Tree’s energy.  

After a long hesitation, they nodded. Yoo Baek-jun entrusted them to the Magic Tower’s care.  

“The demons’ location?”  

“The Peng Family and Crimson Crusaders have subdued them. Heading there now?”  

“Obviously.”  

Time to meet the mastermind behind this tragedy.  

Yoo Baek-jun headed to where the demons were held.  

Straight to Carousel.