The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 441

Chapter 441

Chapter 441 . With One Spear and Two Legs (6)

The shadow was Seol Jihu .

One could tell at a glance that he was in a bad shape, and that was putting it nicely .

Already exhausted from the earlier brawl, he looked even more grotesque now because of his body’s rejection of divinity . Cracks that looked like spiderwebs covered the surface of his skin .

But what mattered to Seol Jihu was that his body was still moving . He jumped out of the hole and shot forward toward the Parasite Queen like a bullet .

The Parasite Queen stopped her hand and began to rouse her energy .

She guessed that by now, the enemy would have figured out what their ultimate goal was . As if to prove her theory right, Seol Jihu’s face was full of rage as he rushed toward her .

Of course, he was bitter . He had planned to fight to the death and aimed to resurrect afterward, but the said method had just been rendered unusable .

Now there was only one thing left on the Parasites’ agenda: watch Seol Jihu struggle one last time before he met his end from which he would never recover .

But this didn’t mean they could let their guard down . Ironically, the enemy was more dangerous now than ever .

[Stand back! Get as far away as possible!]

The Parasite Queen alerted the Army Commanders who were about to jump into the scene .

[I will deal with him myself . ]

As the queen stretched out her arm in front of her, Seol Jihu thrust his spear .

Thud!

Seol Jihu’s body jerked to a halt . He saw that his spear had stopped in the air without even reaching the target .

[I have no obligation to fight you . ]

A leisurely voice rang out .

[You’re still keeping at it even in that condition… . You really are a mad dog . ]

[I presume you’d like to take as many as you can before you return to nothing . ]

The Parasite Queen spread her fingers open .

[Taking one or two Army Commanders with you may not be entirely impossible since you have accepted my energy, albeit forcefully . ]

“Keuk…!”

[But did you really think I would let you have your way?]

She had already played all the cards in her hand . Now his death was only a matter of time . She had no reason to fight him at the risk of further depleting her precious resources .

[I told you when you turned down my offer, that you’d fight like a dog and die like a dog . ]

The Parasite Queen continued, enjoying the defiant look in Seol Jihu’s eyes .

[Fine, do squirm like a bug until you die . I cannot wait to see the look on your face when you fall without achieving a single thing . ]

A sneer bloomed at the corner of her mouth .

Seol Jihu scowled defiantly . His left hand, wrapped tightly around his spear, trembled in anger .

[That funny technique that distorts the law of causality… why don’t you try that on me? Though I can’t say for sure, it will work . ]

With a snort, the Parasite Queen was about to lift her chin, when suddenly… .

Woooong!

…A beam of golden light shot out of the Spear of Purity .

The energy released from the spear was not just a regular sword qi . It was much bigger and much denser, like tens of thousands of sword qi condensed into one .

Even as she mocked, the Parasite Queen never really let her guard down . Nevertheless, the sudden burst of energy took her by surprise .

Level 8 Spear Demon, Secret Art — Reinforced Sword Qi .

The golden reinforced qi tore through the invisible barrier like a scissor cutting paper .

The Parasite Queen immediately turned around and released every bit of energy she had gathered .

Kagagagak!

The released energy crashed into the reinforced qi, bending its course . At the same time, the Parasite Queen quickly folded her left wing across her body . As a result, the spear shattered, not the queen’s heart but only her left wing bone .

It was then that a heavy sense of foreboding took hold of the Parasite Queen . She could feel the scar on her face throb . Strangely enough, she had experienced the same feeling back when she was defeated at Tigol Fortress .

Feeling humiliated all over again, the Parasite Queen’s right hand smacked Seol Jihu with great force .

Slap!

Blood scattering everywhere, Seol Jihu was once again thrown into the air by the power of the blow . He rolled on the ground a dozen times before finally coming to a halt .

For a second, Seol Jihu lay utterly still like a corpse but soon raised his head and pulled himself up, pushing his left arm against the ground . The Parasite Queen was awestruck as she watched all this from afar .

‘He used my divinity without even fully absorbing it… . ’

She wasn’t wrong . Seol Jihu’s mana was depleted, but the divinity she had inserted into him remained, and this was what he used to formulate the earlier attack . No wonder she felt threatened . It was her own energy .

‘I was right . ’

It had been a wise decision on her part to instruct the Army Commanders to stay put . At least four out of five of them would not have been able to avoid that attack, which could have led to their demise .

The Parasite Queen decided to confront Seol Jihu head-on . The possibility of her defeat was almost nonexistent as long as she stayed inside the realm of her own building .

But of course, her opponent had a plan of his own .

Seol Jihu quickly glanced around in search of a new target . But already, the Army Commanders were moving as far away from him as possible as the queen had commanded .

It was then .

“Ah?”

“Stay still . ”

Suddenly, Twisted Kindness grabbed Sung Shihyun in her arms, turned around, and quickly flew past Seol Jihu .

Seol Jihu did not miss this opportunity . He immediately began to pursue them . The three soon became nothing more than distant dots .

Twisted Kindness’ flying speed, boosted by wind magic, was indeed very swift . But backed by divinity, Seol Jihu was even faster .

Twisted Kindness ignored Sung Shihyun’s protest and glanced behind her shoulder . Seol Jihu had almost caught up with them and was holding his spear above his head .

When she saw that, she immediately recited the spell she had been preparing all along . The pair of Army Commanders disappeared before the Spear of Purity could reach them .

Seol Jihu stopped and quickly looked around .

Twisted Kindness was floating next to the Parasite Queen with Sung Shihyun in her arms .

She seemed to have used the teleportation spell seconds before the spear reached her .

Realizing that all his efforts were in vain, Seol Jihu trembled in anger .

“Fuck you… . How dare you use me as bait…?”

Panting and gasping for breath, Sung Shihyun muttered in disdain .

“Forgive me . I don’t know why, but he looked like he was after you . ”

Twisted Kindness gave a bleak smile .

“And it seems I was right . Do you see that confused look on his face?”

—Kuaaaaaaaak!

Suddenly, Seol Jihu’s roar of rage echoed throughout the surrounding field .

“Jeez… . ”

Instead of complaining, a silly laugh escaped Sung Shihyun’s mouth . He did feel pleased . This almost felt like retaliation for Seol Jihu beating him earlier during their fight .

And no wonder Seol Jihu was angry . His enemy played him, forcing him to waste his time when he never had much to begin with .

[What are you doing over there?]

The Parasite Queen responded to the roar .

[Why don’t you come at me so that I can punish you again? Or do you prefer to play tag with my children?]

Her voice was full of ridicule . The Parasite Queen began to gather her energy again while waiting for the enemy to move .

She thought Seol Jihu would come at her immediately as before, but to her surprise, he remained completely still .

He only stared at the Parasite Queen and the five Army Commanders, his eyes blazing with rage, but his feet firmly planted on the ground .

A brief silence passed .

[?]

All of a sudden, Seol Jihu did something totally unexpected .

He turned and began to run in the opposite direction .

[Hoh!]

The Parasite Queen let out an exclamation of surprise .

[You’re running away?]

She asked in a provocative tone, but Seol Jihu did not stop . He concentrated his inner fury on running away . It didn’t take long for him to disappear completely beyond the horizon .

[So he doesn't want to be played by us . What a pathetic pride he has!]

The Parasite Queen snorted .

“Your Majesty!”

Sung Shihyun shouted in a hurry .

“You’re letting him get away?”

[Hmph… . ]

The Parasite Queen lifted her head to the sky . Whatever she saw must have been good news, for an ecstatic smile lit up her face .

[Running across the wilderness until he falls and dies a miserable death alone… . Sounds like a death befitting a mad dog, don’t you agree?]

“No, I don’t . ”

Sung Shihyun shook his head .

“We have to capture him and kill him . ”

[No, I won’t allow that . ]

“What?”

[Our plan succeeded . ]

The Parasite Queen answered simply . She was indirectly emphasizing that Sung Shihyun no longer had the same authority as she did because their mission had been completed .

[I understand why you want to make sure he’s dead, but… you saw . ]

The queen continued .

[You saw how I didn’t let my guard down when he jumped out of that hole and tried to pierce my heart . ]

Yet the concentrated energy easily penetrated her barrier .

[His power then was stronger than yours and that of the Seventh Army Commander . It even took me by surprise . ]

“Still . ”

[I already gave up the stele and spent extra energy for the sake of this mission . If I have to face him again, of course, I won’t lose, but my divinity will suffer more damage . ]

“But—”

[And if by any chance I’m forced to spend the energy I’m using to suppress the Oath… . That will put a considerable restraint on what I can do in the future . ]

“…”

[There’s more . As you know, he’s deceitful . Perhaps he wants you to follow him, just so that he can capture you . ]

Sung Shihyun closed his mouth .

The Parasite Queen was right . He felt the wound on his chest throbbing . If the rampaging divinity were to be added to that technique… . The mere thought of it caused a chill to run up his spine .

The Parasite Queen lowered her gaze . When she saw Sung Shihyun biting his lip nervously, she put a hand on the top of his head, then pulled it back .

Now looking up at the sky, Sung Shihyun widened his eyes . The view changed and he saw the universe . And then… .

“Ah . ”

A light flickered in Sung Shihyun’s eyes when he saw the star at the center of the celestial sphere .

[Did you see it?]

The Parasite Queen asked, and Sung Shihyun nodded . Now he looked much more at ease .

“…That won’t change all of a sudden, right?”

[The supernova is the brightest of all stars, but in reality, its brightness is caused by an explosion that the star produces at the end of its life . ]

The Parasite Queen removed her hand from Sung Shihyun’s head .

[The exploded star can then become a nebula, a neutron star, or a black hole… . And the star has made its choice . It’s a fate chosen by none other than the supernova itself . Therefore, it will not change . ]

She said in a voice full of confidence .

‘The supernova itself… . ’

Sung Shihyun’s face fell . Somehow that phrase bothered him, but he quickly shook his head . The person he saw and experienced couldn’t have been anyone other than Seol Jihu .

“…I understand . ”

[Good . ]

Seeing that Sung Shihyun was convinced, the Parasite Queen turned around .

[As much as I’d like to praise you for the mission’s success, your work is not yet done . ]

Her next goal was to exterminate the insects invading her territory .
 

*

Black Seol Jihu ran .

Ever since he turned around, he had been running as fast as he could . He even blocked off his senses to the point that his legs began to shake . He had to get as far away from the enemy as possible, all to prepare for the future .

Before jumping out of the hole, Black Seol Jihu assessed the situation calmly . No matter what decision he made, the fact that he had to risk his life remained unchanged . But even if he chose to confront the Parasite Queen, could he have achieved results corresponding to his efforts?

‘No,’ thought Black Seol Jihu . The enemy wasn’t stupid . The Parasite Queen he knew, tended to make the most rational decisions under the given circumstances . Sometimes she could be surprisingly bold, but she played safe most of the time and made only logical choices .

This time too, the Parasite Queen ordered the Army Commanders to step down . And then she raised her guard because she knew if she could just run out the clock, Seol Jihu would die without her having to exhaust her resources further .

If he had chosen to fight her? Then he could have injured her to some extent, but in no way was that a reward enough for him to give up his right to resurrect . So Black Seol Jihu chose the latter — to flee .

He used the reinforced sword qi as a kind of provocation . Everything that the Parasite Queen did was within his expectations . And Black Seol Jihu ran away only after pretending to fight to ensure that the enemy wouldn’t suspect escape had been his goal from the start .

‘I don’t think they’re chasing me… . ’

Black Seol Jihu organized his thoughts as he ran .

What had already happened could not be undone . The past could not be changed, but the future could . It all depended on what he would do from now on .

Seol Jihu was going to die soon . To return to Paradise, he needed one wish . The problem was that the Parasite Queen had completely damaged Seol Jihu’s body . He had to fix this problem first to make his resurrection worthwhile .

It should be noted here that the Parasite Queen’s level of existence was higher than that of the Seven Gods . And this gap between them had widened even further after she devoured the Chief Deity .

It was simple, really . The resurrection setting as created by the Seven Sins, restored the Earthlings to the state they were in just before their death .

If the Parasite Queen’s divinity had been the cause of his death, he wouldn’t have worried at all . He could just die and then resurrect .

But the Parasite Queen was extremely meticulous . She made sure that the Army Commanders’ attack, and not her divinity, became the primary cause of Seol Jihu’s death .

She also used the loophole in the resurrection setting to inject him with just the right amount of divinity, just enough not to kill him directly .

This meant that even if he were resurrected, the queen’s divinity would still remain inside Seol Jihu’s body . Therefore, he would need to rely on wishes to bring his body back to normal .

But Black Seol Jihu couldn’t tell exactly how many he would need . In the worst-case scenario, even two wouldn’t be enough . Resurrecting according to the rules set by the law of causality, and erasing the Parasite Queen’s divinity with the power of the Seven Sins were, after all, completely different matters .

‘He could probably manage to get one . But if he needed more than that… . ’

It was unrealistic to assume that Seol Jihu could secure more than one wish . He wasn’t even sure if he could get one .

The more Black Seol Jihu thought, the clearer it became that he had to somehow extinguish the foreign energy dwelling inside him before he died . Even if he couldn’t remove it altogether, he had to reduce it as much as possible before time ran out .

Crash!

Black Seol Jihu’s train of thought continued endlessly until he suddenly fell and rolled over the rough surface of the ground beneath him .

“Fuck… . ”

With his face buried in the ground, Black Seol Jihu cursed softly .

‘I feel like I’ve come pretty far… . ’

He managed to raise his upper body and look behind his shoulder .

After a brief moment of thought… .

‘I should probably get started now . I can feel my strength draining… . ’

Black Seol Jihu slowly extended his arm into the air . He took a transparent box out of his Dimensional Pocket .

[Harmonia Magic Square]
…Because the formula was made with the reversal of energies in mind, it cannot be said to be perfect . But despite being an imperfect formula, if the user accepts the risk and attempts to control it, they will be able to ‘temporarily’ control conflicting energies .
The energy of ‘Absolute Evil’ is currently rampaging inside the crystal .

Black Seol Jihu read the explanation carefully . This crystal was the reason he chose the latter .

On the Path of the Soul, he had repeatedly told Seol Jihu never to use it, but… .

‘Who knew I’d end up here?’

Black Seol Jihu gave a bitter smile . He would have liked to think a little more, but there was no time .

‘Funny how my entire life is a gamble . ’

Black Seol Jihu briefly complained to himself before slumping down into a sitting position . He took a deep breath, then injected his mana into the box .

Flash! The magic square drawn on the crystal began to emit a bright light .

Black Seol Jihu closed his eyes and focused on the flow of energy . Soon he felt the energy from the Harmonia Magic Square — Absolute Evil, the mixture of all the essence of the Seven Sins — slowly flow into him .

He focused all his attention on the process at hand . From here on out, even the smallest mistake could become the point of no return .

With the use of the Harmonia Magic Square, there were now a total of three energies inside Seol Jihu .

The essence of lightning, the Parasite Queen’s divinity, and Absolute Evil .

Black Seol Jihu plunged into contemplation .

There was no doubt in his mind that if he left the divinity and Absolute Evil alone, they would unite as one and become an entirely new force .

But this fragile body would never be able to contain such enormous power . Even now, it was on the verge of collapse, so it wasn’t at all difficult to imagine what would happen if the divinity became stronger than it was now .

‘I shouldn’t let the two forces coexist . ’

After all, this act itself was enough of a gamble . Black Seol Jihu decided to proceed as originally planned . He chose neutralization over coexistence .

When Black Seol Jihu made up his mind, he immediately activated his Mana Cultivation Method .

Level 8 Spear Demon, Class Ability — Reverse-Flow Mana Technique .

Harmonia Magic Square forced two conflicting energies to coexist, and through the repulsion forces generated by such an act, it allowed its user to use reverse-flow mana .

Black Seol Jihu planned to use his technique on the two energies other than the divinity .

In other words, he was reversing what had already been reversed . Turn 180 degrees twice in a row, and you end up right where you started .

Which could only mean… .

BOOM!

Black Seol Jihu’s upper body swung back and forth .

“Keuk!”

Blood spurted from his nose . At first, the two energies seemed to be in harmony, but the peace did not last long . One of the two energies began to shake violently against the other .

“Uaaargh…!”

Even while barely holding out, Black Seol Jihu knew instinctively that his decision was right .

In terms of quantity, the queen’s divinity was the smallest . But it was the densest and most powerful of all the energies in his body . In spite of the fierce attack of Absolute Evil, which was the concentration of seven darknesses, it didn’t even budge . Rather, the divinity swallowed the evil each time it came near .

Black Seol Jihu’s face slowly warped into a frown .

‘Even though I’ve blocked my senses…!’

As his circuits and blood vessels ruptured, indescribable pain swirled through his body like a tsunami . His body began to swell, and blood gushed from the wounds that had yet to heal .

Suddenly, intense dizziness overtook him . His head hurt and he felt lightheaded . As drops of sweat began to fall down his face, he thought he might really die from excessive bleeding .

‘In my past life… this was nothing…!’

Black Seol Jihu clenched his teeth . He activated the Reverse-Flow Mana Technique to help boost Absolute Evil fighting relentlessly against the Parasite Queen’s divinity .

‘Endure it…!’

A moment later, two strands of energy, one black and one white, spewed out of Seol Jihu’s body like a hurricane . The strands intertwined in a spiral and began to surround the body from which they came .

A fierce tug-of-war ensued . Whenever the light and the darkness collided, they neutralized each other and disappeared . Most of the two energies were lost as this cycle continued, but a few remaining quantities were absorbed back into Seol Jihu’s body .

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

As time went by, the clashes intensified, and Black Seol Jihu’s face turned paler and paler .

And yet, he remained perfectly still . It was his request that put his only friend in this position . This was the least he could do for him .

He focused on continuing the Reverse-Flow Mana Technique for the longest time until the two energies finally subsided .

“…”

Black Seol Jihu slowly opened his eyes .

Not even an hour had passed, yet he looked at least ten years older .

He stared straight ahead with a dazed look before suddenly shivering .

He felt empty now that everything that had filled him had disappeared .

“Ugh… . ”

With a grunt, he wiped the blood dripping from his mouth with the back of his hand . He felt as if he had died a dozen times and returned to life each time, without exaggeration .

‘Did it work…?’

There was no way to know for sure . The only certain thing was that the Harmonia Magic Square had all his circuits distorted .

Still, that was a thousand times better than keeping the Parasite Queen’s divinity in him . All his insides had been brutally butchered, but his body was in tatters long before he used the magic square . He should be rejoicing that he managed to do something before it was too late .

‘I did everything I could . ’

Now the rest was up to Seol Jihu and his comrades .

Black Seol Jihu dropped his head with a sigh . He felt light as if he had just been freed from a heavy burden .

‘…Should I lie down now?’

Suddenly, Black Seol Jihu broke into a chuckle . He noticed that, contrary to his wish, his body was squirming to get up .

‘Alright, alright, I get it . ’

He staggered to his feet and suddenly blinked . Only now did he realize that a couple of messages were floating in the air .

‘Well… I guess this is nothing to be surprised about considering the number of times I got punched… . Wait a minute, what comes after EX again…?’

Black Seol Jihu gave a bitter smile . He leaned against his spear and let out a long breath .

‘I’m so tired… . ’

He wanted nothing more than just to lie down and close his eyes . But the owner of his body wanted him to get up and walk .

‘You’re really something . ’

He seemed to want to go back alive no matter what .

‘Fine . Let’s go… . ’

Black Seol Jihu took a step forward, using his spear as a cane .

But before long, his consciousness began to fade and his sight blurred .

He looked down at his own body with half-closed eyes .

His lips curled into a weak smile .

“Good job… . ”

Muttering to himself, he walked step by step toward the horizon .

“You did well… . ”

He walked across the field that no one knew the name of, his legs shaking under him .

“Really… . ”

Alone and desolate, he walked… .

With one spear and two legs .