Chapter 1023: Complete
Chapter 1023: Complete
When Eilish sensed Souta's presence, she immediately stood up to meet him.
Souta looked at her and then turned his gaze to Eilan. "How is he?"
Eilish glanced at her brother before replying, "He hasn't remembered everything yet, but his memories are slowly returning."
"That's to be expected. After all, the elemental being is still a powerful expert, so your brother's memories will take time to recover," Souta said.
"Um... S-Souta..."
Souta turned his head and saw her fidgeting with her hair as she looked down. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "What is it?"
Even though he didn't have sight in the conventional sense, he could perceive images through his energy senses. He could discern her expressions and hear her heartbeat.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me. Finding my brother has been my lifelong wish, and I never imagined I would achieve it. Thank you again," Eilish said sincerely.
Souta could sense the depth of her gratitude. He shook his head modestly and replied, "It's nothing."
After chatting for a while, Souta left the room and headed to the lab where Isabella and Torkez were conducting research.
Upon his arrival, the two researchers immediately stood up from their seats, waiting for him.
"I heard from Alice that you wanted to discuss your research with me," Souta said to Isabella and Torkez.
The two exchanged glances before Isabella stepped forward. She opened her palm and presented a dark red pill to him.
Souta took the pill and examined it closely. "What is this?"
"We've perfected the pill through our research. It's meant specifically for you, Souta," Torkez answered.
"Me? How is this pill related to me?" Souta asked, puzzled.
"It's not coincidental. This pill is designed to be consumed only by someone who hosts the queen of the parasitic essence eater within their body. We tested it extensively with your blood samples, and it showed significant effects," Isabella explained.
"The parasitic essence eater..." Souta muttered, remembering that Saya had given him the pill during their operation against the Red Matter Association.
"So, what can this pill do?" Souta asked.
"It's for the task you requested," Torkez replied.
"You mean..."
"Yes, it's for cultivating the king of the parasitic essence eater. This pill is designed to create a king inside your body. That's why I mentioned it's not a coincidence you have it," Torkez explained.
"I see..." Souta nodded.
Since Saya was still asleep, there was nothing he could do about that for now. At least, having this pill meant he could cultivate the king of the parasitic essence eater.
"Should I just consume it? Is there a procedure?" Souta asked.
"The king will not manifest from nothing. You have many normal parasites in your body, correct? One of these normal parasites will ascend to become the king. As far as I understand, their species can only have one king and one queen," Torkez explained.
Once the king of the parasitic essence eater was born, the number of parasites would increase once again.
"Souta, if you're ready to take it, please sit here," Isabella instructed, guiding him to a chair. She attempted to pierce his skin with needles, but they failed to penetrate.
"It won't work even if I lower my guard. I've already deactivated all of my resistances, leaving only the toughest parts of my flesh. You'll need to infuse mana into the needle to pierce it," Souta explained to her.
Having recently leveled up, his body's toughness had significantly increased, making him far more resilient than before.
Isabella infused her mana into the needle, but it still didn't work. Souta explained that the needle was made of low-quality materials, so Isabella resorted to using her weapon to make a small incision before attempting to insert the needle.
"We need to document the changes," Isabella said.
Souta nodded, and when he received a signal from Torkez, he placed the pill in his mouth. The pill released energy as it dissolved immediately.
He felt a strange sensation coursing through his body.
Thump!
Souta sensed as if countless ants were crawling over his body. All the parasites within him seemed to vibrate, resonating with the queen.
Isabella and Torkez paused, observing their palms. They noticed their flesh moving in a strange manner, which wasn't surprising since both of them also hosted parasites.
All the parasites in Souta's body were experiencing the same sensation.
Anyone who had received parasites couldn't help but glance towards the lab. The parasitic
essence eaters resonated with the movements of the queen.
Souta furrowed his brow. He felt his energy depleting rapidly.
"This..."
Despite the pain, Souta endured, knowing he had to go through this. He could sense changes occurring within his body.
One of the parasites began to transform.
Ding!
[A parasitic essence eater in your body is evolving! Do you want to expel it? Yes/No?]
'No,' Souta replied.
A substantial amount of energy from Souta's monster core and [Nebula Heart] was being drained. He observed the changes passively, ready to intervene if he sensed any potential
harm.
[5%... 17%... 32%... 46%... 63%... 81%... 99%...]
Ding!
[The transformation is complete!]
As the transformation finished, Souta felt that only twenty percent of his energy remained in both of his energy pools. He hadn't anticipated that transforming a parasite into a king
parasite would consume so much energy.
[King Parasitic Essence Eater]
With this, he could now gather more parasites to bolster his army. Their strength would ascend to a higher level, and their formidable regeneration ability meant they wouldn't easily
perish.
Souta raised his hand, and strands of flesh emerged from his skin, as if he could control every
fiber of muscle in his body.
Then, without hesitation...
Souta swiftly drew his sword and swung it at his neck. Blood spurted out, and his head fell
into his palm.
Torkez and Isabella were taken aback, but they quickly noticed something strange happening. The flesh from his hand rapidly attached itself to the flesh on his neck. His head slowly moved
across his arm before settling back onto his neck.
"So I'm essentially immortal now..." Souta remarked.
"Immortal?" Torkez exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"Yeah, I can regenerate from any type of wounds, even if only a single cell remains, but it's not that simple. Regenerating my energy pool is challenging since it contains my energy. Fortunately, my energy pool is now linked to my inner consciousness," Souta explained. Though the connection was small, it was better than nothing. He remembered a time in the past when his energy pool was damaged, and he had to consume numerous mana potions to recover it. Such a method wouldn't have worked if his energy pool had been destroyed back
then.
It's one of the differences between mortals and gods.
"Additionally, the strength I gain when using my parasite has increased threefold. As for cultivating parasites, I still have no idea when a newborn parasite will emerge." Souta slowly explained to Torkez and Isabella as they bombarded him with questions.
With the completion of the parasite king, the Astros' forces will gradually become stronger over time. It was unexpected that the pill could facilitate the cultivation of a parasite king.
"You both did great. For now, feel free to do as you please. I don't have any tasks for either of you," Souta said to Torkez and Isabella.
Afterward, he returned to his office, looking visibly tired. A significant amount of energy from his pool had been depleted, prompting him to seek some rest. He planned to check on Gragas and Doranjan's progress later.
"The higher-ups forbid me from leaving Hall Plains... I had some matters to attend to, but it seems I won't be able to do them. What should I do?" Souta muttered, tapping his finger on
the table in contemplation.
"Alice..." Souta said calmly, his voice echoing through the entire building.
Shortly after, Alice knocked on the door and entered the room. She glanced at Souta before
taking a seat.
"I've heard from Torkez that the cultivation of the parasite king is complete," she said.
"You already knew?" Souta raised an eyebrow.
"He sent a report detailing the experiments, including the funds used. At the end, it stated the experiments were complete and further work wasn't necessary," Alice explained. "He's likely focusing on the Guardian Fortress now. If he finishes it, we can construct and enhance another
fortress."
"I see... Tell him to prioritize his training. The Guardian Fortress is important, but individual strength shouldn't be neglected," Souta replied.