After Ten Millennia in Hell

Chapter 473 - Hope To The Fallen World (1)

Crunch.

Flesh was bitten off.

[A-Aaaahh.]

A lifeless groan sounded out. Oh Kang-Woo slowly stood up and looked down at the Parasite King. His eyes which had been blazing with passion were now that of a dead fish.

“The hell? Is it over already?”

Kang-Woo looked down at the Parasite King in disappointment. The Parasite King was as mangled as an abused rag. Most of his injuries were not made by Kang-Woo but by the Parasite King himself to rip Kang-Woo off of him.

“Huuu,” Kang-Woo took a deep breath in and clicked his tongue.

‘I wanted to test my new Trait a little more.’

Kang-Woo recalled the effects of his Twelfth Awakening Trait Master of the Demonic Sea.

‘I guess it’s fine since I’ve more or less checked its effects.’

The Trait Master of the Demonic Sea allowed Kang-Woo to maintain his sanity when the Doors were open. He had not been able to test it out since it was far too dangerous to open the Doors for no reason, so this opportunity had been the perfect chance for him.

‘It’s amazing.’

The Trait was not EX-rank for nothing; the Twelfth Awakening Trait had far exceeded Kang-Woo’s expectations.

‘Let’s see... I think I withstood about twenty or thirty full-body regenerations.’

Kang-Woo did not die from any physical, magical, or spiritual attack when the Doors were open because the Demonic Sea poured into him through the Ten Thousand Demon Core to restore him instantly.

‘But it’s not invincible.’

Such an overpowered ability naturally had flaws; the more the Demonic Sea’s power was used to restore Kang-Woo’s body whenever he got hurt, the more his sanity was eaten away by the Demonic Sea. His consciousness thinned and his thoughts evaporated.

‘And in the end, I would lose control.’

If Kang-Woo lost control, he would be reduced to a monster that ate anything in his path, regardless of friend or foe. The Master of the Demonic Sea Trait helped maintain his sanity within the Demonic Sea. To make a comparison to a game about a plumber who grew from eating mushrooms, the Trait was like a star which allowed the plumber to be invincible after eating it.

‘This will be a game changer.’

No matter how risky opening the Doors was, Kang-Woo had no intention of keeping them closed against Bael. Rather, it would be forced upon him as if it were inevitable.

‘And this trait will shine in that moment.’

Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction.

“Let’s get this over with.”

He looked down at the Parasite King, who had lost the will to fight. He was still alive but was no different from being dead.

[You’re...] the Parasite King muttered. His voice was filled with fear, nothing like his arrogant tone from earlier. [Yes, I see...]

He nodded lifelessly as if he understood.

[It was never Bael.] The Parasite King continued in terror, [You are... the ender of this world.]

Kang-Woo grimaced. “Ender, my ass.”

He had been the one to stop the end of the world by defeating the Parasite King.

“Stop forcing shit like the demise and the end of the world when I don’t even want it, dammit.”

Kang-Woo walked in annoyance and slowly raised his arm. His hand split open and out of the ends poured black mucus that quickly spread across the parasite King to devour him.

[He, hehe.] The Parasite King giggled softly as the Authority of Predation was devouring him. He mumbled, [Your struggles... are meaningless. Fate... cannot be...]

“What a joke,” Kang-Woo interjected as he snickered. “You were saying shit about how you were destined to be a king and that you were a conqueror from birth? Then why was I able to beat the shit out of you? Hm? Is this also part of your destiny? Was it decided from birth?”

[...]

“Don’t try to act cool by shitting out meaningful-sounding lines and just die quietly, man.”

Kang-Woo clenched his fists in annoyance as he looked down at the Parasite King. The energy of the Authority of Predation fully enveloped the Parasite King several hundred meters tall.

Crunch, crunch!

The sound of crushing bones echoed.

[A-Aaaahh,] the Parasite King groaned. He looked up as he felt himself sinking into the sea of demonic energy. [It seems...]

He was a king from the moment of birth; he was the strongest. The countless stars that he had conquered only contained prey. No one who could even dare to devour him existed— until today when he met that monster.

[I was... one of those prey.]

He was merely one of the prey to the predator of predators on top of the food chain.

The Parasite King slowly closed his eyes. The fear that he had desired all this time was not at all as entertaining as he had hoped.

***

Riiing.

[You have successfully devoured the Parasite King!]

[Transferring the right of control over the Parasites from the Parasite King to Player Oh Kang-Woo.]

[You have acquired the special skill ‘Tentacle Summoning (Rank: SS)’ and ‘Acidic Body Fluid (Rank: S}.’]

‘The fuck? I don’t need that shit.’

Kang-Woo cursed in his head as he confirmed the blue message windows that appeared after the predation. He was fine with Acidic Body Fluid, but not Tentacle Summoning.

‘I’ll never use it.’

No matter how broken it was, he would never use the goddamn skill for as long as he lived.

“Is this seriously it?”

Kang-Woo glared at the message window. He couldn’t believe that he only acquired two useless skills after devouring the Parasite King, who was so strong that he was forced to open the Doors.

‘More. Spit out more, dammit.’

Kang-Woo stared daggers at the message window. Another message popped up as if it were responding to his pleas.

[The stat Vitality has been newly added.]

[The spectrum of ways that you can use Chaos skills has broadened thanks to the acquisition of power from an outer world!]

[Raising your mastery over Chaos skills]

[Combining the Chaos skills with the Flames of Voracity due to its improved mastery.]

“What?” Kang-Woo said in bewilderment.

‘The skills were combined?’

He couldn’t understand why Chaos skills were combined with the Flames of Voracity out of nowhere.

“Motherfucker.”

Kang-Woo frowned aggressively. He had avoided using Chaos skills ever since awakening the Flames of Voracity. Chaos skills were only slightly stronger than the Flames of Voracity despite them being more than ten times as difficult to control.

‘No, it’s not like it’s significantly more powerful either.’

If the Chaos skills were uncharted territory that he had yet to fully discover, the Flames of Voracity were an embodiment of his true self. It was only natural for there to be a difference in controllability.

‘Even though I have two Traits that help me control them better.’

It was far too inefficient.

“Goddammit.”

Rather than excitement, Kang-Woo was more worried that he wouldn’t be able to use the Flames of Voracity, which he had been using well, anymore.

‘I need to check right away.’

Kang-Woo slowly raised his head. There were still thousands of Parasite Nests sprawled throughout Huan since the Parasite King had split Kang-Woo’s skill Twilight in half.

‘I could wipe them out in an instant with just a single command since I was given control.’

However, they were the perfect targets to test out the power of the combined Flames of Voracity and Chaos skills.

“Wait.”

Kang-Woo’s eyes widened as he was about to draw out the Flames of Voracity.

‘If the Flames of Voracity and the Chaos skills were combined...’

A chilling thought popped up in his head.

“Sh-Shit!”

Kang-Woo clenched his fists.

Tear!

The skin of his back ripped open once Kang-Woo crouched and focused. Giant wings made of sticky black mucus sprouted from the split areas.

Fwoosh.

Flames wrapped around the wings of black mucus. The gold and black wings resembling a black sun flapped on his back.

“Phew,” Kang-Woo sighed in relief. “Thank God I can still make my wings no problem.”

His blazing wings were a derivative of the Flames of Voracity; he worried that he would no longer be able to use them after the combination, but that did not seem to be the case.

“I... I can’t live without these wings anymore,” Kang-Woo muttered desperately.

He always turned into black mucus covered in nothing but mouths, and sometimes even turned into a ball of fire.

“This is... my only badass skill.”

Kang-Woo clenched his fists. Whatever happened, he couldn’t afford to lose his wings.

“Fuuu.”

Kang-Woo flapped his wings and flew up into the air.

[Hm! K-Kang-Woo!]

Just then, Echidna flew toward Kang-Woo in excitement. She did not seem to be significantly injured due to the halt of the evolved lifeforms’ actions after the Parasite King’s death.

[Kang-Woo! What are those wings?! They’re so cool!]

“Huhu.”

Kang-Woo shrugged proudly and flapped his wings to show them off.

“Haaa. You act like a child in the weirdest moments, Master Kang-Woo.” Lilith approached Kang-Woo as she sighed. She looked down at the ground covered in Parasite Nests and continued, “That aside, how are you planning on disposing of those Nests?”

“They should be wiped out.”

“I guess there is no other way.” Lilith nodded as she looked down at the thousands of Nests. She continued in pity, “I wonder... if this land will be able to return to normal one day with time?”

She seemed to be saddened by the fallen world as well.

Kang-Woo smirked. “How un-demonlike of you.”

“Hoho, indeed.”

Lilith giggled elegantly with her mouth covered. She then lightly grabbed Seol-Ah, who was flying next to her, by the hand and pulled her close.

“L-Lilith?” Seol-Ah asked, flustered.

Lilith lightly embraced Seol-Ah and said, “Fufu. I think I’ve changed a little after spending time with Seol-Ah and the others.”

Kang-Woo smiled faintly. It was not a bad change.

“Don't worry,” he said as he looked down at Huan. “As long as we get rid of the Nests... there is hope for this land to return to how it used to be.”

It was likely near impossible; nearly every lifeform in Huan had been taken over by Parasites and killed.

‘But...’

There was a sliver of hope— Kang-Woo was sure of it.

“Master Kang-Woo...”

“I will create that hope.”

That was the least he could do for this fallen world.

Fwoosh—!

Kang-Woo closed his eyes and drew out the Flames of Voracity. He unsheathed Ingrium from his waist.

“Oh,” he expressed.

The Flames of Voracity, which used to burn using demonic energy mixed with Divinity as fuel, were now mixed with mana, sacred power, and the energy of the outer world known as Vitality as well.

‘So this is... what it meant by it has combined with Chaos.’

The Flames of Voracity, which used to burn only with the power of demonic energy, were now using Chaos as fuel.

‘No.’

The flames were voraciously eating Chaos to burn more fiercely than ever before.

‘Not bad.’

The Flames of Voracity was an embodiment of his true self. They had indeed become harder to control due to their combination with Chaos, but not to the point that he couldn't handle them. It was at least far easier to control than using Chaos skills by themselves.

“Hope...” Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Huan taken over by Parasites. “... To the fallen world.”

Fwoosh—!!!

The Flames of Voracity burned fiercely as they devoured Chaos. Kang-Woo swung down his sword horizontally as if he were forming a boundary between the sky and earth.

“Twilight.”

Boom!! Rumble—!!! Crackle—!!

Not only did the Flames of Voracity, which poured out from the sword, burn the Parasite Nests covering the ground to a crisp, but they also began to destroy the entirety of Huan. The massive flames melted the ground and vaporized the earth.

“Huh?”

Kang-Woo quickly lowered the output, but it was already too late.

“Wait a minute.”

The sliver of hope remaining in the fallen world was snuffed out.

‘Why the fuck is it so damn strong?’

The attack far surpassed his expectations. The Flames of Voracity burning with Chaos were powerful enough to turn an entire world to ash. Kang-Woo looked down at Huan, which was falling apart as if several nukes exploded at once.

“Uhhh, mm.”

‘I mean, you see...’

“It’s not my fault.”

‘It’s the System’s fault for combining the Chaos skills and the Flames of Voracity on their own. Come to think of it, a portion of the privileges granted by the Law of Titans was transferred to Bael.’

In that case, it was highly likely that all of this had gone according to his plan.

“That fucking bastard...!” Kang-Woo trembled in rage. “To think he would... destroy a world that still had hope of returning to how it once was!”

Kang-Woo shed tears as he looked down at the vanishing Huan. He had never felt more powerless than right now, unable to do anything to stop the destruction.

“I will avenge this star... no matter what.”

Kang-Woo turned around after coming to a resolution.

Riiing.

[How could such a scumbag possibly exist in the univ—]

Kang-Woo pushed aside the message window that popped up in front of him.