Chapter 469 - Parasite King (1)

Oh Kang-Woo flew up toward the horrifying red Rift that tens of thousands of Parasites were pouring out of.

“Karrrrrgh!”

“Krrrk! Krrrk! Krrrk!”

Once Kang-Woo came near the Rift, the Parasites falling toward Seoul sprouted their wings and flew at him. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he stared at the swarm of Parasites so large that they could be mistaken for a cloud.

“There are still so many of them even after I wiped half of them out.”

The problem was that they would endlessly pour out of the Rift no matter how many were killed.

“Kraaaaaaahhh!!”

“Shut the hell up, dammit.”

Kang-Woo did not falter even after being surrounded by the swarm of Parasites. He slowly unsheathed Ingrium from his waist.

“Krrrrrrrrrrk!!”

The swarm of Parasites charged at Kang-Woo, who enveloped Ingrium with the Flames of Voracity.

“Krarararararara!!”

The ear-splitting roar of a dragon echoed, stopping the Parasites flying at Kang-Woo in place.

“Good work, young dragon.”

A red muscle-bound demon smiled on the back of a black demonic dragon.

“Balrog?” Kang-Woo called.

“Were you planning on going by yourself again?” Balrog raised his head and flexed his muscles. “Hup!”

He spread his massive bat wings, flew into the air instantly, and punched one of the Parasites.

Bash!

“Skreeee!”

Green fluids splattered all over the place as the Cockroach’s head exploded.

“My, how filthy. Could you please take care not to make it splatter this way?” said Lilith, sitting with one leg over the other and wiping off the green fluid staining her clothes.

“Kang-Woo!”

“M-Master K-Kang-Woo. W-We’re here to h-help.”

Han Seol-Ah and Halcyon were also on Echidna’s back.

“You guys...” Kang-Woo sighed as he watched them flying toward him. “What about the Nests?”

“The Guardians members are taking care of them. There’s no need to worry since your attack already wiped out a considerable number of them.”

“Then you should help Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun kill the evolved—”

“Si-Hun is wiping them out before we even have a chance to do anything.” Lilith smiled faintly and bowed modestly. “We will follow you, my king.”

“...”

“Kang-Woo. Y-You were planning on going by yourself again, weren’t you?” Seol-Ah as she sprouted her white wings.

Kang-Woo could faintly hear her mumbling that she would need the chains as she had thought.

[Hm! You get on my back too, Kang-Woo!] Echidna’s shout was transmitted directly into Kang-Woo’s head.

“Ngh,” Kang-Woo groaned and then smirked.

He let Balrog take care of the Parasites flying at them as he got on Echidna’s back.

‘I guess I have no choice since they’re already here.’

It was for the better; however many Parasites they killed down there, more Parasites would take their place until the Rift was taken care of. It was better to add more people to dispose of the source of the Parasites.

‘Besides, I don’t need to put on an act in front of this lineup.’

Lilith, Balrog, Halcyon, Echidna, and Seol-Ah knew Kang-Woo’s true self under the persona of the God of Splendor. He would not be forced to do anything unnecessary from bringing them with him.

“That’s enough of that, Balrog. Come here.”

Crush.

“Yes, my king.” Balrog, who was covered in green goo, flew toward them as he smiled. The goo splattered like rain every time he flapped his wings.

[Balrog, you’re dirty! Don’t get on my back!]

“Y-Young dragon.”

[I’ll get angry if you do!]

Echidna glared at Balrog fiercely. Balrog’s shoulders drooped as if he were shocked.

“Man, I guess you’re gonna have to fly on your own, Balrog.” Kang-Woo snickered as he stared at the dejected Balrog.

He felt like his shoulders were lighter than when he was about to enter the red Rift by himself. He could barely feel his burning hunger or suffocating thirst.

“Hoho.” Lilith approached Kang-Woo and giggled elegantly with her hand covering her mouth. “What do you think, Master Kang-Woo?” She placed her hand on Kang-Woo’s shoulder and continued, “It’s lighter than shouldering everything on your own, isn’t it?”

Kang-Woo remained silent. He looked up at the red Rift with a faint smile. “Let's go.”

Whoosh!

Echidna flapped her giant wings and flew toward the red Rift.

***

A strange sensation spread throughout Kang-Woo as they passed through the red Rift.

‘This is...’

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It was a faint memory but he remembered feeling something like this once before.

‘But when?’

Kang-Woo combed through his memories and came across one hidden deep within the thick fog.

“Oh.”

He recalled the colossal tree that linked the Triad when he followed Gaia into the divine realm.

‘Huan.’

The branch of the World Tree linked to Huan had been engulfed by darkness for some reason.

“I see what happened.”

Kang-Woo frowned as he feigned laughter. He had a feeling that the darkness was related to the Parasites that attacked Earth.

‘In that case, this red Rift is... linked to Huan.’

“Hmm,” Kang-Woo groaned.

The world beyond the red Rift came into view before he could think more.

“Hah.”

“This is... horrible.”

“Kyaaahh!”

Lilith’s chuckle and Seol-Ah’s scream echoed.

Kang-Woo looked around with narrow eyes. The land contaminated by the countless Nests looked horrifying as if it was covered in blood vessels.

“Is this a Hatchery[1] or what?” Kang-Woo Grimaced aggressively as he stared at the world taken over by Parasites.

“A-Aaaahh.”

“Ahihi, ihi.”

Faint voices could be heard. Kang-Woo turned to the source of the voices.

Krrrrrk, krrk.

At the end of the red stems protruding from the Nests covering the land were humans wearing clothes that one would see in Chinese martial arts films.

“Argh, ahhh.”

“Ehe, hehehe. Heh.”

The red stems were attached to the back of their heads. They were laughing soullessly as if they had lost their minds. Kang-Woo slowly turned around. So many humans had become nutrients for the Nests that it was pointless to count. There was nothing but despair left in this world.

‘So this is... what awaits worlds that fall to outer worlds.’

All the history, culture, lives, and land that the world had built were trampled on and were reduced to nutrients for the predators.

“Echidna. Fly a little higher.”

[Okay.]

Echidna flapped her wings and flew higher.

“Kraaaaaahhh!”

Countless Parasites flew toward them to kill the invaders. Their numbers back in Seoul paled in comparison to how many there were here, and they were all baring their sharp teeth at Kang-Woo and the group.

“Fuuu.” Kang-Woo closed his eyes, ignoring the swarm that could be mistaken for the ground itself.

He placed his hand on his heart and felt the infinite demonic energy flowing into him through the Demonic Sea. He drew out an ember from the sea of demonic energy that could engulf the entire world whole.

Fwoosh.

Gold and black flames enveloped Kang-Woo. He unsheathed Ingrium, which the Flames of Voracity traveled up to envelop, from his waist. He then opened his eyes.

“A-Arghh.”

He could hear a voice. A child no more than ten years old was attached to the red stem. No, not just the one child; the elderly, children, women, men, and everyone in this world had been parasitized.

Kang-Woo did not care about their despair. He did not think about their pain. It was none of his business whether the people of this world had wept or struggled in agony during their demise. He couldn’t care less if hundreds of thousands of people he didn’t even know the names of died. He did not feel the least bit of sympathy. That was the kind of person he was as well as how he needed to live so that he could survive.

- M-My... king.

However, only for a tiny moment...

- P-Please ru...

His vision blurred and distorted. A clear memory fragment appeared from within the hazy fog of memories. The appearance of Earth overlapped with the world that had already met its end.

“For fuck’s sake,” Kang-Woo cursed.

He was extremely displeased for some reason once he looked at the people taken over by Parasites. Irritation swept over him.

“What an unpleasant bunch of insects.”

Kang-Woo slowly raised his sword. His displeasure was reason enough for him to wipe out the Parasite race.

Fwoosh.

The Flames of Voracity burned brightly.

“Haaa,” Kang-Woo exhaled deeply.

Unlike in Seoul, he did not need to hold back his strength. He could let loose his irritation and displeasure as much as he liked in this world. Kang-Woo smiled and swung down his sword vertically as if splitting the earth.

“Twilight.”

Flames poured like a tsunami from the line made with his sword that linked heaven and earth.

“Skreeeeeeeeee!!”

An enormous number of Parasites were engulfed by the flames. The Flames of Voracity filled the sky, burning it orange like a sunset. Its power was of another level compared to the flames made with the Authority of Mammon, the Prince of Greed. The flames that burned as if they would devour the entire world poured down on the Parasite Nests all over the ground. The flames were so powerful that they could drive an entire race to extinction.

“Genocide Flame.”

‘Sheesh.’

“That’s cool as fuck...”

He felt like he would cream his pants just hearing the name.

“I’m gonna call it Genocide Flame instead of Twilight from now on.”

Kang-Woo nodded as he stared at the flames pouring down on the ground.

Booooooom!!

Just then, the earth shook. The (cool as fuck) Genocide Flame that was about to reach the ground and burn the Nests was split in half. A man wearing a blue martial arts robe flew into the sky from between the split halves.

“Who the hell is that?”

Kang-Woo frowned.

1. The Hatchery is the foundational structure for zerg colonies in Starcraft. ☜