Chapter 219: #Vicious Insect Lord

If this world were a story, Sasaki Roki would undoubtedly be its protagonist. At just ten years old, he defeated a serial killer in a Shinjuku massacre, shocking the entire Japanese archipelago.

Since then, his every move had been nothing short of remarkable. A genius who became an S-rank Hunter at twenty, he also mastered Katori Shinto-ryu, an ancient sword art said to be passed down from the gods.

The world even considered him to be the successor of Royce and Zan Le Mang. However, the high schooler Sung Mi-Ri, known as the Thunder Emperor, overshadowed him. He was furious at first, but now he realized how trivial it was.

Isn’t that right, Kamimaru?

Sasaki lovingly gazed at his beloved sword. He had trained for a long time at his family’s shrine for the Hunter War when Kamimaru suddenly appeared. He was bewildered at first, but soon got mesmerized by its overwhelming power.

That’s right! I’m chosen by god!

[1]

According to the legend, Sasaki’s sword teacher, Ienao, had to pray for a thousand days before being granted swordsmanship by the gods. Meanwhile, Sasaki only needed to train for less than three days at the shrine! Naturally, because he was even greater than his ancestors! With Kamimaru, he grew stronger at an alarming rate, like Thor obtaining Mjolnir.

Before signing up for Hunter War, his unofficially measured MP was 99,000—more than twice that of the world's strongest Hunter, Royce, who had 43,150 MP. Even then, Sasaki wasn’t at his full strength. He had easily surpassed legends like Royce, Jack White, Zan Le Mang, Homeless, Gillian, and more. A new era had begun—one defined by him! A true SSS-rank, Sasaki Roki, the savior of mankind!

How exhilarating!

Just then, sirens announcing the appearance of monsters echoed through the colosseum.

「The energy reaction of a g-great monster!」

「Oh my god! W-what’s the level?」

「A-above a million MP! We can’t measure any higher! This is similar to the last SSS-rank catastrophe, when the Despair Dragon...!」

Even the Hunter War organizing committee was in a frenzy. The Hunter units stationed at the colosseum formed a tight perimeter around the arena. The cause was a bizarre creature with a strange aura in the middle of the arena. However, it was too small to be a threat.

Sasaki smirked.

Despair Dragon? This bug? What a bunch of drama queens.

The creature looked at the Hunters surrounding the arena and spoke.

-I’m asking one last time. Where is Yu Il-Shin?

“

Eeeek!

”

“

Aaaargh!

”

The crowds and Hunters groaned in pain at the creature’s voice.

Yu Il-Shin?

Wasn't he the Korean Hunter who single-handedly defeated the Greeks and became a dragon against Zan Le Mang? Even if Sasaki could easily defeat that scum, he didn’t let his guard down.

Yu Il-Shin was only a Chosen-jin[2] after all, and not a worthy opponent.

Woooong!

Kamimaru cried with ferocity. Sasaki, whose mind was linked with his sword, felt Kamimaru’s will.

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill the emperor, Contractor!

“Sure. What’s the harm?”

Sasaki pointed Kamimaru at the emperor. He’d originally planned to start his legend by defeating Royce, but defeating an SSS-rank monster would be just as dramatic.

“Sasaki... Don’t be reckless.”

Cold sweat trickled down Royce’s beautiful face. It was quite picturesque, but that was all. There was no hint of her previous murderous intent.

Tsk! How pathetic, this is the world’s strongest Hunter?

Sss—

Ant Emperor turned to Sasaki.

“Human who borrows Beast of Deceit and Rapacity’s power. Are you going to answer my question?”

“

Hahaha!

Yeah!”

With my sword!

“Secret Sword, Kamikaze.”

Sasaki swung his sword without a care. Though he was a distance from Ant Emperor, it was meaningless.

Swoosh!

With a single slash, the space around Ant Emperor was torn apart, and hundreds of blades rained down on him like torrential downpour.

Royce’s eyes widened in amazement at the sight.

Sasaki sneered. He had every right to, since he had only used a single sword against her.

Baaaam!

“

Haaa!

How...?”

He waited for Ant Emperor to get shredded when his view suddenly spun like a windmill.

Whiiiir! Thud!

Suddenly, Sasaki felt the coldness of the floor against his cheek, forcing him to look up. What just happened?

Crack! Claaang!

Ant Emperor wielded ten-meter-long scythe-like arms, resembling those of a praying mantis. He chewed on the shattered Kamimaru with nonchalance.

-

Kieeeek!

Kamimaru howled like a living creature, but that didn’t stop Ant Emperor.

Ah...

And that was the last thing Sasaki saw of the world. He lay lifeless on the ground, his body torn in half.

“

Hmm?

”

Sensing murderous intent, Ant Emperor looked up while still chewing on the hilt of the screaming Kamimaru.

Swish swish!

Igis, whose hair had turned into a bunch of snakes, tore off the bandages covering her eyes and looked at him.

N-no! W-what’s wrong with my body?!

Tears welled up in her eyes. Ruler of the Abyssal Swamp had taken over her body, wanting to get revenge.

“Petrifying Gaze!”

The power she unleashed was nothing compared to the previous two times, but she paid dearly for it.

Pssss—

She shriveled up like an old tree, her face filled with wrinkles.

Craaaack!

Ant Emperor turned into stone at a terrifying rate, but he was unfazed. He pointed his petrified index finger at Igis.

“Carnage Flames of God.”

Kwaaaa!

Flames erupted from his small index finger, reminiscent of an ancient nightmare, the eruption of Pompeii volcano.

“Oh my god...”

“Dear lord...”

For a moment, the sky turned red, striking terror into audiences worldwide. It reminded them of the Despair Dragon incident that had devoured the world.

When Ant Emperor lowered his index finger, Igis was gone without a trace. She’d evaporated without leaving a trace of ash.

Ruuumble!

Ant Emperor scratched at his stony skin, muttering, “They think they can kill me with alter egos? Not even death cures stupidity. Typical of gods born from beasts.”

Even though he was the target of Petrifying Gaze, the million spectators in the colosseum and the Hunters were as still as stone.

Ant Emperor tilted his head to the side. The origin of his power was slaughtering and devouring sacrifices.

“Strange. Why hasn’t my power increased?”

His hungry, primal gaze scanned the colosseum. Finally, he noticed the strange magic circles set up all over the arena, which led underground.

Ant Emperor looked downward, and soon caught sight of an egg hidden deep underground, with a girl curled up inside. The entity was absorbing the faith and desire of humans all across the city and the world—the seed of god, Abraxas’ Egg.

“

Hoo...

That’s the thief who stole my power.”

The girl in the egg shuddered upon sensing his gaze.

"Are they trying to create a god? How amusing. I doubt it can be done indirectly." Ant Emperor smiled mockingly.

“Stop hiding and come out here.”

Ruuuumble!

He extended his hand, and the ground directly above the Abraxas’ Egg began moving.

“Stop, Evil God! Don’t touch her!”

Like a mother bird deprived of her youngling, Royce swung her double swords at him.

Without paying her any heed, Ant Emperor flicked his snake-like tail at her.

Kwaaaa!

“

Aaah!”

The wind pressure alone sent Royce flying like a kite with a broken string.

Crack!

She crashed loudly against the invisible barrier surrounding the arena, coughing up a gurgling stream of blood.

“Now, let’s see what you’ve got.”

As if unearthing a priceless treasure, Ant Emperor concentrated his energy to retrieve Abraxas’ Egg from underground.

Whiiiir! Kwaaaa!

A blast of frigid magic, ten times colder than an Arctic blizzard, engulfed him. As he froze in place, he spotted the culprit—a white-haired elf, Jack White.

Both Royce and Jack White were no ordinary beings, but gods with divine powers.

However, they were mere insects compared to him.

Clang!

With a light tap, the ice imprisoning him shattered like glass, scattering across the ground.

“Tueuse de Dragon!”

This time, white bones came together and took the shape of a snake, sweeping Ant Emperor like a tsunami. It was SS-rank French Hunter Zan Le Mang, who swooped in to help after sensing the emergency.

Ant Emperor was growing annoyed. It felt as if more and more bugs were swarming around him.

“Why are you bothering...Huh?”

Sensing the faint, hidden power of the approaching Dragon Power, his anger reached a boiling point.

“

Bastaaard!”

In a fit of rage, he slammed his divine power into the snake’s head.

Baaam!

“

Koff! Koff!

”

Left in a mangled heap of blood and flesh, Zan Le Mang coughed up more blood. Her broken hand helplessly clutched the Dragon Slayer, now reduced to nothing but a hilt.

The sound of bone and muscles reconstructing echoed through the air, and the sword-sized emperor instantly grew into a staggering two-meter tall. He strode over to Zan Le Mang, crushing her head with his foot.

Slam!

“

Aaaargh!

”

“You have Despair’s power! Tell me where he is!” Ant Emperor screamed in anger, but Zan Le Mang couldn’t understand anything.

“No matter how much you conceal it, you can’t deceive my eyes! I’d rather not kill a human woman, but a bitch with his power is an exception!”

Craaack!

“I’ll crush you like a bug if you don’t want to talk!”

“

Aaargh!

”

Zan Le Mang’s head was buried deeper into the ground.

“

Aargh! Aaaaargh!

”

Panic erupted among the stands. Not even Royce and Jack White, the strongest Hunters on Earth, stood a chance against this monster.

“

Kyaaaaa!

”

“W-we must run!”

“S-someone, please save Zan Le Mang...”

The global festival, meant to inspire hope and dreams in a world plagued by monsters from gates and dungeons, was turning into a nightmare.

Whirr! Thud!

Just then, someone burst into the arena.

Ant Emperor turned around at the presence coming from behind.

“Yu...Il-Shin?”

The aura felt similar, but something was off. Was he always this small and young?

With a half-crushed face, Zan Le Mang gaped with pleading eyes.

N-no. Boy! You’re no match for this monster! Run! Otherwise, it’ll kill you too!

“

Heugh...

”

However, all she could muster was a groan, as if the wind had been knocked out of her.

Sam-Shin’s eyes glowed eerily red. “Des...troy!”

Ant Emperor’s eyes widened instantly.

A tidal wave of destructive beam poured out from the young boy’s eyes, engulfing Ant Emperor.

1. aw look guys, it’s another chuuni ☜

2. 조센징, or 朝鲜人, a term used by some Japanese people when referring to Koreans. Usually known as a rude term. ☜