Player who Returned 10,000 years Later

Chapter 471: Parasite King (3)

[I thought you were a fellow connoisseur of elegance.]

The Parasite King looked up at Oh Kang-Woo with a frown.

“Elegance, my ass,” Kang-Woo answered as he stared in disgust at the sticky green tentacles. He continued as he gagged, “There’s no such thing as elegance in tentacles.”

“H-How cruel…” Lilith shed tears as if she were heartbroken.

‘Why are you getting hurt?’

Kang-Woo was left lost for words as he stared at Lilith, who was hurt by Kang-Woo’s words directed at the Parasite King.

“Do you truly not understand the charm of tentacles, Master Kang-Woo?”

‘Yes.’

“Why do you despise tentacles so much?!”

“You’re too cruel!”

‘So what?’

“Hmph! Don’t you ever think about enjoying my tentacles ever again!”

‘Hell yeah.’

Kang-Woo could not understand the twisted beauty standards of demons despite having lived as a demon for far longer than as a human.

[You have no desire to talk, do you?] The Parasite King looked up at Kang-Woo in rage. [I have no reason to show courtesy to a man so inelegant.] He slowly stood up and spread his green tentacles widely. [Come, mortal hero.]

Boom!

A great shockwave shook the earth as an otherworldly power different from mana, demonic energy, or sacred power poured out from him.

The Parasite King remarked arrogantly, [Do your best to protect this world from me, the Parasite King.]

The otherworldly invader, one who had conquered countless worlds and a king who reigned as the strongest for the longest time, raised his arms. Humanoid Parasites with translucent wings flew up to the sky. They were different from regular Parasites; they were evolved lifeforms that had inherited a large amount of the king’s power, and the Parasite known as Raging Temperance was one of them.

“The king is trying to eat.” Balrog stood between the evolved Parasites and Kang-Woo as his muscles swelled. He raised his fist and said fiercely, “Do not disturb him, insects.”

Clank, clank.

Black armor wrapped around him with the sounds of dense metal hitting against each other.

Balrog turned to Han Seol-Ah and said, “I ask for your support, my king’s lover.”

“Ah, okay! I will buff you right away!”

Seol-Ah nodded as twelve wings of light sprouted from her back. She was smiling uncontrollably, having taken a liking to the title king’s lover.

[Hm! I’ll destroy anyone who gets in Kang-Woo’s way!]

“I-I’ll do my best to k-kill them all… a-and be p-praised.”

Echidna and Halcyon also exuded fierce bloodlust at the Parasites charging at Kang-Woo.

‘Good thing I brought them.’

Kang-Woo smirked as he looked at his retainers. With this, his battle against the Parasite King would not be interfered.

“Now, then.” Kang-Woo smiled widely.

Fwoosh.

The Flames of Voracity burned fiercely as if it were starving.

“Let’s begin,” he said to the king of the outer world.

[I like your impertinence!]

The Parasite King sprouted his translucent wings. Hundreds of green tentacles poured down at Kang-Woo as if it were rainfall. The Flames of Voracity stood in their way.

Rumble—!!

Ear-splitting explosions shook their surroundings. The Flames of Voracity dispersed and the tentacles barraged Kang-Woo, who was blown back and tumbled backward.

[Haaaap!]

The Parasite King stomped his feet and charged at supersonic speed. He reached the tumbling Kang-Woo in an instant and raised his right arm, which had been close to that of a human in appearance before, but was now wrapped in an exoskeleton similar to that of a cockroach.

Wham—!!

Kang-Woo was blown into the sky after getting punched. The Parasite King did not give Kang-Woo any time to rest, showering him with punches.

[We Parasites are the strongest beings, born to rule the universe!] said the Parasite King confidently as he barraged Kang-Woo. [Our extraordinary rate of propagation! Regenerative capabilities that fully heal us even after being split in half! Infinite evolutionary possibilities!]

Parasites were born warriors and predators; it was pointless in and of itself to compare them to mere humans. Angels and demons could be stronger than Parasites as individuals, but they were no match for Parasites if they went to war against each other.

[And I am the one who was born as king of this race!]

The Parasite King was the strongest from birth; his physical capabilities, power, and rate of evolution were on another level compared to other Parasites, showing him that he was fit to be a king. He was born to conquer worlds and rule them beneath his feet. That was the true nature of the one known as the king of Parasites.

[Now, mortal hero! Struggle some more!]

Bash! Crash! Wham—!

Kang-Woo was getting one-sidedly beaten after the Parasite King unleashed his true power. The Parasite King’s fists covered in a black exoskeleton went through the Flames of Voracity and barraged Kang-Woo before he even had time to counterattack. Kang-Woo’s flesh was torn apart and his bones broke.

[Is this all you’ve got?!] shouted the Parasite King in frustration. [Do not disappoint me, human hero!]

The Parasite King one day became bored because he was reigning above all. He no longer felt excitement when conquering worlds. He felt like he was dead; as if time had stopped for him.

[Why do you think I came all the way here to the Triad?!]

He needed stimulation; he needed someone who could let him feel like he was alive. He wanted to feel the thrill of battle with his life on the line.

[Get up, human!]

Bash—!

However, Kang-Woo was left embedded in the ground without being able to dodge his fist. The Parasite King clicked his tongue in disappointment.

[... I guess this is it.]

The human hero was no longer a match for the Parasite King once he brought out his true power.

[But it has truly been a while since I’ve transformed to my first form.]

The Parasite King turned around with a sorrowful expression.

“You talk too much for a goddamn insect.”

Just then, the Parasite King heard a voice.

[...!]

Kang-Woo slowly stood up from the ground.

“Do you talk with words?” The injuries that had been all over Kang-Woo were nowhere to be seen anymore. “Well, I’ve more or less figured you out now.”

Kang-Woo stopped analyzing the Parasite King’s movements with the Authority of Insight. His movements were not as extraordinarily impressive as those of Tai Wuji, but they were the most ideal for the Parasites’ characteristics.

“Let’s do this for real now.”

Fwoosh.

Kang-Woo slightly lowered his stance and slowly raised his right fist covered in the Flames of Voracity— no, his fist itself had become fire.

“Skybreaker.”

Boom—!!

Kang-Woo stomped his feet and leaped forward, arriving in front of the Parasite King as if he had teleported. He then swung his fist made of the Flames of Voracity.

Bash—!!!

The hundreds of tentacles protecting the Parasite King were burned away and Kang-Woo’s fist dug into the Parasite King’s stomach.

[Kurgh!!]

The Parasite King was ripped in half; his lower body collapsed in place as his upper body was blown away.

[Cough! Cough!]

The Parasite King, with only his upper body remaining, coughed green blood.

[Gurghhh.]

However, that was only for a moment. Sticky fluid oozes out from his upper body. The split area squirmed as if it were boiling and his lower body was regenerated.

[Hah.]

The Parasite King stared at Kang-Woo in shock. It took tremendous power to split his body in half.

[Hah, haha.] The Parasite King smirked as he trembled and burst into laughter. [Kehe, kahahahaha!! Yes! That’s more like it!]

His expression which had been filled with sorrow earlier brightened in an instant.

[This is the first time I’ve had this much fun since beginning my conquest!]

The Parasite King clenched his fists and once again drew out his power.

Crack, crack.

His black exoskeleton around his entire body split open and eight hooks covered with sharp saw blades emerged. His black body was slowly turning green.

[Grrrrr,] the Parasite King growled.

He raised himself using the eight hooks. The Parasite King no longer had any resemblance to human form.

[You are the second opponent to ever make me use my second form.]

The first opponent was torn to shreds as soon as the Parasite King revealed his second form.

[You can be honored! I can guarantee that you are the strongest among the humans—]

“Jesus Christ, you talk too much,” Kang-Woo interjected as he grabbed two of the Parasite King’s eight hooks.

“You can be honored too.”

Crunch!

Kang-Woo ripped out the two hooks.

“I can guarantee that you’re the greatest chatterbox among everyone I’ve ever fought.”

Bash!

Kang-Woo used the momentum from ripping out the hooks to kick the Parasite King on the chin. The Parasite King was sent flying with his chin shattered. Kang-Woo lightly jumped and swung his leg back down like an ax. The Parasite King’s face was bashed in with Kang-Woo’s heel and he was rammed into the ground, forming a crater.

[Gaaaaaaaaaahhh!!] The Parasite King screamed in pain as he twisted and turned, grasping the areas that his hooks were ripped out from. [Kehe, kehehe.]

However, his painful struggles did not last long.

[Kahahahahahaha!!] The Parasite King burst into laughter, still in the crater. He shouted ecstatically, [A-Aaaahh!! Yes, this is it! It was this!]

He then looked up at Kang-Woo.

[This must be how it feels to be alive!!]

His voice was trembling with delight. A sense of fear that he had not felt in a long time was coursing through him. Fear allowed one to feel alive, as well as the emotion that he had been chasing all this time.

[I will admit it, mortal hero!] The Parasite King stood up as he staggered. [You are worthy of being my rival!]

Rumble—!!

The earth shook as if an earthquake was taking place.

[Let me show you!]

The Parasite King raised his arms, tens of thousands of green tentacles pouring out of him, and his skin was bubbling.

[This is the true form of a king!]

The green tentacles condensed into one area and the Parasite King, who was only a few meters tall, grew to become hundreds of meters tall. Kang-Woo was reminded of giants in mythology as he watched the Parasite King roaring as he trampled on a mountain.

[Come! Let me experience true fear!]

The Parasite King raised his giant arms in delight.

“...”

Kang-Woo stared at the giant Parasite King, completely baffled.

‘What the hell’s with this dude? He has three forms and can even gigantify? Is he the protagonist of a Trigger anime? Is your drill gonna pierce the heavens?’

“You want to feel fear?”

Kang-Woo cackled. The power he could feel from the gigantified Parasite King was enormous enough to justify such a line. However…

“Sure,” Kang-Woo said as smiled. “I’ll let you feel it until you’re sick of it.”

He placed his right hand over his heart.

“Open.”

Kang-Woo opened the doors of despair.