Chapter 140 : Parasite Queen ‘Euphemia’ (3)
Chapter 140: Parasite Queen ‘Euphemia’ (3)
Clang!
Stab!
“Keeee!”
“Aaaagh!”
The screams of two different races mingled together in one place.
Blood and bodily fluids drenched the Spawning Chamber.
Yohan gulped down plenty of the grape juice he had received as supplies from the Empire.
He also stuffed his mouth with hardtack and star candies, chewing away.
‘They’re not bad.’
In terms of individual quality, the Murim side was far superior, but in terms of sheer quantity, the Parasites were overwhelming.
As a result, a fairly even battle unfolded.
‘The variables are the Queen and Hyeongbi, as expected.’
Unlike races that normally had weak combat capabilities. Euphemia possessed martial prowess surpassing that of a Class-1 Combat Species.
Of course, once she exerted her full power, her hormones would change and have a devastating effect on spawning.
Regardless. It meant she could display tremendous hidden strength in a moment of crisis.
Hyeongbi of the Black Kill Division was also a powerhouse ranked within the top 50 of the Divine Cult.
He exchanged sword strikes with the Queen without yielding even an inch.
‘Whose side should I take to really get under their skin?’
There was no particular reason to only support the Murim side.
What mattered was whittling down both sides’ forces.
Wooooong!
It was the perfect environment for testing various combinations.
Moreover, several higher species dropped rare items, making it a great opportunity to watch for the right timing and land the final blow.
[Lower Magic ‘Fire Arrow’ has been activated!]
After infusing the arrow formed in his hand with the blood of a True Ancestor, Yohan fired it toward the ground.
Papap!
The instant the arrow struck the ground, it split into five branches and shot out in every direction.
An effect similar to ricochet.
“Keugh!”
“Ugh!”
Several nearby individuals were caught in it.
Two Parasites died. While those from the Black Kill Division merely suffered shallow wounds.
‘The Murim bastards react too quickly for something like this to work.’
Their Qi Senses were exceptionally sharp, so even their responses to irregular attacks were precise.
In that case.
[Lower Magic ‘Earth Spikes’ has been activated!]
Stab! Stab! Stab!
Spikes bursting from the ground pierced through the Parasites’ bodies.
While they were at it, they also pierced the insteps of several Black Kill Division members.
‘Oh. So they’re vulnerable to attacks from underground.’
More precisely, laying an alien aura across the entire floor using Void Magic had probably played a major role.
He had picked up another useful piece of information.
“What are you doing! My subordinates are getting hit too!”
“Ah, sorry. I haven’t properly figured out the range yet. I was trying to help in my own way. Sorry.”
Yohan gave a halfhearted apology.
The die had already been cast, so Hyeongbi had no other choice.
The battle grew even fiercer.
Around five minutes later. Casualties began mounting among both the Parasites and the Black Kill Division.
Precious comrades died.
Family members born together fell.
However, there was exactly one person.
Someone completely detached from such desperation.
“Ohhh. This actually dropped. They say it’s good for the skin, so Vivian and Scarlet will probably like it if I give it to them later.”
Yohan moved among the corpses, collecting items.
“Wow, this pincer is pretty impressive. I should put it on display as an ornament. If I give this Black Kill Division sword to Seo Changhee, maybe he’ll take extenuating circumstances into consideration? Ah, it’s too cheap for that. Tsk.”
Grinning from ear to ear.
He was busy sweeping up all the spoils he had gained by taking advantage of both sides.
“Division Leader! Do you truly believe the words of such a shameless bastard? We’d be better off joining hands with those Orthodox Faction bastards!”
“Shut up!”
Hyeongbi cursed at his subordinate’s words.
He knew it too.
There were people in this world who should never be trusted.
However, now that they had both consumed the Two-Colored Gu Poison, Yohan had no choice but to keep his promise.
Once he obtained the bead, he could simply make Yohan pay for all of this.
“You lot focus only on dealing with the Royal Guards and the remaining insects!”
His patience would be long, but the moment of vengeance awaiting him at the end would be infinitely sweet.
＊＊＊
By the time an hour had passed.
The sounds of battle inside the Spawning Chamber had almost completely disappeared.
At last, victory had tilted toward one side.
“Huff. Huff.”
Hyeongbi breathed heavily.
He himself had suffered considerable internal injuries, but after using an Ultimate Art, he had managed to inflict a fatal wound upon the Queen.
“You… fool. To fall… for that treacherous tongue.”
Euphemia caressed the long sword wound across her chest.
Her core had been cut in half, so it wouldn’t be long before she stopped moving.
At least, if she hadn’t sent out the Combat Species to deal with the powerful enemy who had appeared outside the nest.
If she hadn’t committed more troops than necessary to capture a single stronghold located on the frontline.
Had she not done those things, she wouldn’t have been driven this far.
But such assumptions were meaningless now.
“If you bastards had properly met our demands from the start, there would’ve been no reason for us to betray you.”
Hyeongbi flicked the blood from his sword.
They had somehow managed to win.
However, more than half of the carefully selected elites of the Black Kill Division had also been lost.
The rest had suffered injuries that made proper combat impossible.
They had lost far too much.
Even so… it wasn’t entirely bad news.
A Parasite Queen should possess an extremely valuable Core.
If he could take that along with the bead stained with the blood of the Imperial Family, he could make up for all the sacrifices they had suffered until now.
But just then.
Crackle!
Cold particles of ice began gathering nearby.
[Intermediate Magic ‘Ice Explosion Spear’ has been activated!]
[The energy of the Void seeps into the spear!]
[Bloodline Arts assist it!]
The ice spear transformed into the shape of a dark crimson wolf.
It was the result of no fewer than three different supernatural powers overlapping.
“W-wait! The Queen is ours!”
Hyeongbi shouted urgently.
He was trying to claim rightful ownership of the hunt.
However.
“Come on. Don’t feel burdened. I’m only doing what I naturally should as an ally.”
This was solely to help the exhausted and injured Murim master before he fell into Qi Deviation.
Before he lost even one more precious subordinate to the Queen’s final struggle…!
Yohan was merely trying to help.
With a heart overflowing with kindness and affection.
“I said stop!”
With Hyeongbi’s desperate shout as the last sound.
[Fusion Skill ‘Fenrir of the Void’ has been activated!]
Rumble!
The charging wolf tore into Euphemia’s heart.
“Keeee!”
A massive hole appeared in Euphemia’s body.
[Parasite Queen ‘Euphemia’ has died!]
[The fourth episode has been cleared!]
A golden status window announcing their success flashed.
At the same time.
Countless rewards dropped.
[The highest Contribution Points go to ‘Kang Yohan’ and the raid party he leads.]
[Euphemia’s Core has been acquired!]
[1 Mid-High-Level Skill Book has been acquired!]
[1 Unidentified Rune has been acquired!]
[3 types of items have been acquired!]
[…acquired!]
[All items are forcibly bound to the one who dealt the final blow.]
Yes. This is it.
Due to the nature of the Parasites, whoever landed the final blow monopolized everything.
That was why he had deliberately waited and watched for the right timing.
For the moment when he could reap the greatest benefits.
“Oops. What am I supposed to do? I feel bad. I didn’t mean for this to happen….”
Yohan scratched his head.
At the same time, he picked up a few Magic Stones lying around on the ground and slipped them into Hyeongbi’s inner pocket.
Pat. Pat.
“Use these for your subordinates’ medical expenses or something. I know it must hurt inside, but you should at least take something like this.”
“…….”
At Yohan’s charity, Hyeongbi bit his lip hard enough to tear it open.
He was visibly struggling to suppress the urge to cut Yohan down on the spot.
Hmm. He’s surprisingly patient.
The best-case scenario would’ve been provoking him into causing the Gu Poison to run rampant.
It seemed this much wasn’t enough to completely shatter his composure.
‘I guess I have no choice but to go with Plan B.’
Yohan’s gaze flicked toward the wall.
It was about time.
He only needed to stall a little longer.
“Don’t glare at me like that. I’ll keep my promise.”
Toss.
Yohan threw the bead.
“Wait. I’ll verify it first.”
Hyeongbi handed the bead to a subordinate behind him.
Probably… what he didn’t know.
Was that Yohan had mixed Ataraxia’s blood into Evangeline’s blood.
‘I’m pretty confident when it comes to playing tricks with blood.’
The Unorthodox Factions, Divine Cults, and Blood Cults of Murim seemed to take some pride in this field.
But to Vampires, who could be called the sovereigns of blood. Especially to a True Ancestor standing at their very pinnacle, they merely looked cute.
A moment later. The subordinate examining its authenticity nodded.
“It is genuine.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. It undoubtedly belongs to Evangeline von Hestia. There doesn’t appear to have been any tampering with it either. Traces confirming that it was extracted voluntarily rather than by force have also been verified.”
“Is that so.”
Killing intent flashed in Hyeongbi’s eyes.
The contract enforced by the Gu Poison had already ended.
In other words.
From this moment onward, he could vent his anger without restraint.
“Capture him alive. Do not kill him. I will personally perform Tendon-Severing and Bone-Dislocating Torture on him for half a month before beheading him.”
“By your command.”
The Black Kill Division slowly spread out into an encirclement.
And at that very moment.
Crack… Slash!
The wall made of secretions collapsed and was cut apart.
“Kang Yohan! You’d better be prepared!”
A man appeared.
I never thought I’d be this happy to see this troll.
Seo Changhee.
The protagonist of this damned Forbidden Book.
After cutting down every last Parasite, he had appeared to deal with the culprit behind all of this.
“Changhee! You came at just the right time! I found a weapon for you after killing the Queen.”
First, he had to resolve the resentment that had already accumulated.
He had to insist that using Seo Changhee as bait had merely been the only choice available to obtain an item for his precious companion. And to clear the episode.
Furthermore.
“But that bastard stole your sword.”
He couldn’t forget the process of redirecting the target of Seo Changhee’s anger.
The response was immediate.
“What?”
Seo Changhee looked at Hyeongbi.
The sword looked extraordinary at a glance.
It was a renowned sword of a level that could only drop after hunting an episode’s boss monster.
“You mean to say those shameless Murim bastards dared to obstruct my growth? That is a sin against the world.”
“I don’t know what kind of bullshit you’re spouting, but stand aside. Before I kill you along with him.”
“I can’t do that. Even if his companions refuse to acknowledge the protagonist and abandon him. A protagonist never abandons his companions.”
Seo Changhee let out a smug chuckle and swept back his hair.
Apparently believing he had said something impressive, he wore quite a satisfied smile.
＊＊＊
Clang!
Claaang!
Seo Changhee’s intervention changed many things.
“Keugh!”
“Don’t let your guard down! He’s strong!”
The elites of the Black Kill Division were thrown into confusion by Seo Changhee’s storm-like onslaught.
Even after forming a Combined Attack Formation, they were utterly unable to suppress his momentum.
[Seo Changhee activates ‘Aether Blade’!]
The sword of Spirituality had drawn even closer to Sword Force.
Naturally, it wasn’t something assassin squads limited to Sword Aura could withstand.
“Why don’t you join that guy too? At this rate, you’ll lose every last subordinate you have left.”
“I intend to. But first, I’ll cut off that chattering mouth of yours.”
Hyeongbi closed the distance between himself and Yohan.
“You’ll regret it. I’m stronger than that guy.”
“For someone who merely throws around magic, you’re excessively confident. You’re the one who’ll regret this. This body is on an entirely different level from those you’ve faced until now.”
At Hyeongbi’s words, Yohan scratched his head.
Hmm. I’ve been thinking this for a while now….
“I don’t understand why you think magic is all I can use.”
He had done nothing but grin, so it was understandable that Hyeongbi might underestimate him.
That much was understandable….
But he shouldn’t have become certain based on such a half-assed standard.
Yohan swallowed the green elixir coated in sticky bodily fluids.
[Euphemia’s Core has been consumed!]
[All expended Mana and Stamina have been restored!]
[Magic stat has increased by +20!]
His Magic had now surpassed three digits.
At this level, he could use ‘that Martial Art’ which he had begun mastering during the 712th regression.
Whoosh!
The first thing to emerge was the fire-type magic ‘Burning Sword’.
Blazing flames formed a sword path.
“Hah? You’re saying you’re going to use a sword in front of me?”
Hyeongbi sneered.
However, Yohan ignored the mockery and continued swinging his sword.
Softly.
Yet fiercely.
All Creation was depicted through a single sword.
“D-don’t tell me.”
Hyeongbi’s expression rapidly distorted.
Shock and disbelief were laid bare across his face.
Of course he would recognize it.
How could he possibly not?
The absolute supreme being of the Divine Cult and the sole Transcendent who had unified all of Murim.
The exclusive Martial Art used by the Heavenly Demon.
There was no mistake.
The forms of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword he had witnessed during the Orthodox-Unorthodox War were being manifested.
First Form.
Compared to the original, it was infinitely inferior.
From the form, which lacked proper Internal Energy, he could not feel the overwhelming pressure from that day that had evoked a natural catastrophe.
However.
Thump!
Hyeongbi instinctively knew.
Thump!
This feeling.
This sensation.
That was genuine.
Heavenly Demon Asura Sword.
Slash!
His vision was dyed red.
＊＊＊