Side Story Chapter 57 - Biohazard (3)

"KuRuAAAAAAAAaaaaAAAAAAAA!!!" the unique monster roared.

The thousand smaller monsters reacted to the roar and charged at Satan, baring their teeth.

[U-Urgh...]

Satan, who was smashed into the ground at supersonic speed, staggered as he stood up. He was more impacted by the humiliation as the Prince of Wrath than the physical damage, but he couldn't vent his rage at the Demon King, his summoner as well as the true master of the Abyss.

[RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!]

Hence, he had no choice but to take it out on the monsters before him.

[HOW DARE YOU BARE YOUR TEETH AT THE PRINCE OF WRATH!!!]

Satan knew he was venting his frustrations on the wrong target but he would explode from rage if he didn't release it.

[DIE, PATHETIC INSECTS!!]

Satan drew out his full power, slaughtering the monsters. There were many of them but it did not matter. Although he was treated like a punching bag by the Demon King, he was still a prince of Hell. Mere monsters were no match for him.

Crunch—!!

Satan's demonic energy spread widely, mangling the monsters that made contact with it. However, it was not enough to kill the persistent monsters.

"KaaarrrrRRRRRRR!!"

The monsters charged at Satan without hesitation despite their bodies being mangled.

[You dare!]

Satan realized from his earlier slaughter that a simple discharge of demonic energy couldn't kill the monsters. He spread his arms and activated his Authority.

Crack!!

The monsters that made contact with the Authority of Extinction shattered like glass.

[RAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!] Satan roared as he rampaged, slaughtering the monsters and creating a storm of blood.

Thud.

Oh Kang-Woo landed next to Satan. He smiled and remarked, "Nice work."

He couldn't afford to stand and watch for long; he needed to take action to reduce the monsters' numbers as quickly as possible.

[Kurgh...]

Satan grimaced as he glared at Kang-Woo who was acting as if nothing happened after humiliating him.

"Stop frowning, man. Leaving our past differences aside, we're partners now."

[P-Partners?]

Satan's mouth gaped in disbelief from hearing such a word come out of the Demon King's mouth.

"Of course! A Pokemon and their trainer are friends!"

[Pokemon...? What is that?]

"Go, Satanmon! Wipe out these disgusting monsters!"

Kang-Woo turned from the dumbfounded Satan to the unique monster at the center of the horde.

'Once I capture that bastard, I'll know the location of the host.'

There was no point in hesitating.

Wham!

Kang-Woo sprinted toward the unique monster like a bullet and raised Wrath over his head.

"KaaaaAAAAA!!!"

The smaller monsters around it stood in Kang-Woo's way as if to protect the unique monster.

"Fuck off!"

Kang-Woo kept one hand on Wrath and spread out his other arm. The palm of his free hand split and black liquid fell on the ground.

"Dark Spears."

Spears made of demonic energy sprouted from the ground with him at the epicenter, skewering the monsters charging at him. An attack of this level would not kill them but that was not the intention of the attack.

"Gotcha, you son of a bitch."

Kang-Woo took the chance to reach the five-meter unique monster, stabbed Wrath into its large stomach, and activated the Authority of Extinction.

"This is my Wrath, and..."

Slash!

He cut open the unique monster's stomach and pulled out his sword.

He glared resentfully at the monster and muttered, "This is for the swimsuits that never saw the light of day."

"KiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAA!!!"

Blood spurted from its stomach, which Kang-Woo stepped backward to dodge. Blood vessels bulged throughout its body like cracking glass. Nothing could survive a direct attack from Wrath—

"KaaaRRRRRRrrrrRRR!!!"

"The fuck?"

Bash!

The lump of flesh that was the monster's arm smashed into Kang-Woo.

"Kurgh!"

Its attack broke through Kang-Woo's Deific Essence barrier, sending a shockwave throughout Kang-Woo. A red thorn grew out at the end of the lump of flesh and dug into him, slashing his flank open.

"Guh!" Kang-Woo jumped backward as he put pressure on his flank. "What the hell...?"

His eyes shook in panic. He was not surprised by the fact that his Deific Essence barrier was broken since he had already taken the possibility into account from the moment he found out the monsters were created by an unknown power that he couldn't detect. There was something else that shocked him.

"Why isn't it... regenerating?"

The wound on his flank was not healing.

"..."

It was impossible. Kang-Woo's physical form was not made of flesh and blood, but the Demonic Sea. Just like how an ocean had no concept of death, neither did his body. No matter how badly he was injured, his infinite demonic energy would make it as if nothing had happened. Hence, nothing could kill him in the truest sense— or at least, he thought.

"H-Haha. Fuck me," Kang-Woo chuckled.

Black mucus was oozing from his flank, cut open by the monster's red thorn. It was not healing; all he could feel was sharp pain. Kang-Woo felt chills running down his back as he stared at his injury and the black blood. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this feeling— the fear of

death

.

"Haaa. For fuck's sake."

He did not expect anything like this. The immortality that did not break even during his battle against Bael had lost its meaning.

"KAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" the monster with its stomach split open screeched.

Crack! Crack!

Something crawled out of the monster's gaping stomach.

"A... centipede?"

It was an arthropod-like creature with countless legs.

"No, there's no way a centipede is that fucking large."

It looked like a centipede but not a real one. Not only did centipedes not grow to become this massive, but they didn't burrow in corpses like parasites and control their host.

'That must be—'

"M-My king!!!"

Kang-Woo heard Lilith's voice. He looked down to see a tentacle sprouting from his shadow.

"I found the location of the host!!"

The sound of his dripping blood and Lilith's voice echoed inside his head.

"The opponent you're fighting... isn't a unique monster!!"

"Yeah." Kang-Woo nodded. "I thought so."

He smiled. The otherworldly being, only ten centimeters long, that caused this biohazard was using human flesh as its nutrition and growing bigger.

Crunch! Crunch—!!

The centipede crawled out of the monster's belly and squirmed. The monsters in the surroundings attached to the centipede and formed a giant lump of flesh. Red thorns that wounded Kang-Woo sprouted throughout it.

"You're the host."

Kang-Woo clenched his sword and lowered his stance. His heart beat rapidly. The back of his head was hot and he could feel cold sweats running down his back. He had not felt this way in a long time; sparks made from the fear of death spread throughout his body.

"H-Haha. This is so fucking fun."

Kang-Woo couldn't stop himself from laughing. He was not scared despite the monster possessing the power to kill him. Rather, he was so ecstatic he couldn't contain it.

"KAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" the centipede screeched.

The centipede, which became a giant lump of flesh after absorbing the monsters around it, swung its thorn-riddled arm ferociously.

As Kang-Woo stared at the arm being swung his way, he muttered, "Burn."

Fwoosh!

Gold and black flames enveloped Kang-Woo and he stepped to the side.

Boom—!!

The lump of flesh smashed into the ground.

Swoosh!

The red thorns shot out from the arm like a claymore mine explosion. A thorn grazed Kang-Woo's shoulder and cheek, causing him to bleed.

"Hell yeah! This is what I fucking call a battle!!"

Kang-Woo burst into laughter as he looked down at his wounds that were not regenerating. It had been a while since he felt a need to dodge attacks, which was a natural response for most.

He had no need to dodge or block attacks until now since he couldn't die from anything. Battles had become boring for him, but not this moment.

"Hahahaha! Rampage even more, motherfucker!"

Endorphins flooded Kang-Woo's brain. He just barely dodged the storm of red thorns as he approached the monster as if he were dancing.

Slash!

He swung his sword upward. The lump of flesh split like shattering glass and spewed blood. Kang-Woo rolled sideways to dodge the blood.

"Hup!"

He raised his right arm, blazing with the Flames of Voracity, and shoved it into the split flesh.

Fwoosh—!

The giant flames engulfed the lump of flesh.

"Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!"

The centipede situated at the center of the lump thrashed about ferociously. It cut off the flesh being burned by the Flames of Voracity, hundreds of internal organs flooding out of the severed end.

"Wait a second."

Kang-Woo recalled what happened in the hotel hallway. Yeon-Joo was almost hit by the blood bullets that had shot out from the internal organs of the split monster.

"Could it be..."

Ratatatatatatatatatat!!!

"Why the fuck is a protoss using hydras?!"[1]

'A dark archon must've used mind control!'

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

Kang-Woo ran like crazy to dodge the blood bullets spraying like a machine gun. Since his wounds were not healing, he would die for sure if he took those bullets head-on.

"Shit!"

Kang-Woo continued to run but the storm of blood bullets did not seem to end. There was nowhere to run.

"In that case...!"

If he couldn't do it alone, he had no choice but to get the help of a

friend

.

"SATANMOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!"

[Hm?]

Kang-Woo ran toward Satan, busy slaughtering the monsters.

[Wh-What are you—]

Kang-Woo grabbed Satan by his neck and pushed him forward.

"FRIEND SHIEEEEEEEEEEEEELD!!"

Ratatatatatatatatat!!!

Countless blood bullets showered Satan.

[Kurgh!! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!]

"Gasp!" Kang-Wo widened his eyes. "A-Aaaahh! I can't believe it! Satanmon is dead!"

On that day, Kang-Woo lost his precious friend.

1. This is a Starcraft reference; you don't need to know what it means LMAO. ☜