Chapter 476: Chapter 476 - You’re Making Me Feel Like The Final Boss

“Tae-Hyun,” Oh Kang-Woo called.

“Don’t call my name with that filthy mouth of yours!”

Kim Tae-Hyun’s scream echoed across the building's rooftop. kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun with a frown.

‘What the hell happened?’

Tae-Hyun would not be acting this way if he simply saw the future.

‘Did he actually go through a regression?’

It did not seem to be a true regression; Tae-Hyun’s future consciousness seemed to have jumped to the past. Foresight had gone beyond just showing the future and transferred Tae-Hyun’s consciousness from the future to the present for some reason.

‘What the hell did he see?’

Kang-Woo more or less had an idea. A burning sky, distorted land, and a man standing above a mountain of corpses...

‘It wasn’t the Parasite King... but me.’

Kang-Woo— to be more exact, Kang-Woo with his mind completely taken over by the Demonic Sea, had ended the world.

Kang-Woo shut his eyes tightly. He had resolved himself for the possibility.

‘But in the end... I guess I failed to overcome it.’

A sense of hopelessness swept over him. He bit his lip anxiously.

‘No.’ Kang-Woo slowly shook his head. ‘No future is set in stone.’

Tae-Hyun blocked attacks he would have been hit by in the future through Foresight. In other words, the future that Tae-Hyun saw through Foresight could change.

‘Don’t falter,’ Kang-Woo repeated to himself.

He had no intention of sitting around doing nothing like an idiot just because the world ended in a future that had not yet arrived.

‘I have to calm Tae-Hyun down first.’

Kang-Woo raised his head and looked at Tae-Hyun.

“Haaa, haaa, haaa,” Tae-Hyun panted heavily. “Oh... Kang-Woo...!”

Translucent light poured out from his eyes. Blood vessels bulged around his eyes like tree roots.

“I won’t... be fooled anymore!!”

“Tae-Hyun, this is all a huge misunderst—”

“Don’t bullshit me!” Tae-Hyun shouted in tears and shouted, “Do you seriously think I’ll be fooled like a dumbass like before? Huh? I can see through your shameless mask now!!”

‘When did I ever fool you?’

Kang-Woo was having a hard time responding to accusations regarding a future that had yet to arrive.

“I understand what you’re going through,” Kang-Woo remarked.

“Kurgh...”

“First, calm down. You simply saw one future among countless. That’s all.”

“Shut... up.”

“The future can still change—”

“Shut up!!” Tae-Hyun screamed and glared at Kang-Woo resentfully. “Yeah... it can change. It will change once I kill you right here and now.”

“That’ll only change the person on top of that mountain of corpses from me to Bael.”

“Shut up!” Tae-Hyun shouted, not willing to talk anymore.

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

‘He won't listen.’

Tae-Hyun seemed to be completely taken over by his future consciousness. Kang-Woo could tell that nothing he said would reach him.

“I’ll... kill you.”

Tae-Hyun gripped his dagger tighter as more translucent light poured out of his eyes.

“Haaa,” Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

‘I guess I have no choice.’

He needed to neutralize Tae-Hyun before he even got a chance to talk things over with him.

‘It’s so damn hard to hold back, though.’

Kang-Woo had just destroyed an entire world because he used too much strength. He needed more time until he was able to properly control the Flames of Voracity combined with Chaos.

‘And it’s not like I can kill him.’

It was not like Kang-Woo had become too attached to Tae-Hyun. Tae-Hyun treated Kang-Woo like his older brother, but they had only just met and had gone through too little for Kang-Woo to grow attached. Kang-Woo was not generous enough to show mercy to a hound who bared its fangs at its master.

‘But I need Tae-Hyun’s future memories.’

If Tae-Hyun was taken over by his future consciousness, it meant that he likely remembered everything that happened between now and the end of the world. Kang-Woo would be able to earn clues about the coming demise as long as he was informed of those memories.

‘I’ll face him until he gets exhausted.’

Kang-Woo currently lacked the power control to actively neutralize Tae-Hyun, but he couldn’t avoid him either, which left him with only one choice.

‘I can take him no problem.’

It would be a piece of cake for Kang-Woo to drag the battle until Tae-Hyun grew exhausted.

“Fuuu, haaa,” Tae-Hyun took a deep breath as he raised his dagger and glared at Kang-Woo with his eyes glowing translucent.

Whoooom!

Light poured out of Tae-Hyun’s necklace.

“Enlightenment,” Tae-Hyun mumbled.

Blood vessels bulged throughout his face.

Slam!

Tae-Hyun stomped his feet, lowered his stance, and moved fluidly as if gliding across the ground. He swung the dagger up from below like a beast jumping out of the water to grab its prey. Kang-Woo frowned and leaned back. Tae-Hyun quickly swung down the dagger as if he knew Kang-Woo would move like that.

Slash!!

Tae-Hyun’s dagger sliced through Kang-Woo’s Deific Essence barrier and cut his skin.

‘The hell?’

Kang-Woo was left bewildered. Tae-Hyun performed a spinning kick at nothing for some reason as soon as he cut Kang-Woo.

Bash!

“What the f—”

Tae-Hyun suddenly teleported behind Kang-Woo and his kick slammed into Kang-Woo’s back.

‘Son of a bitch.’ A blood vessel bulged on Kang-Woo’s head as he staggered. ‘When the hell did he get so skilled?’

It was as if Tae-Hyun’s greatest weakness, his lack of combat experience, had been fully made up for. Tae-Hyun’s attacks, which were based on information that he gained through Foresight, were difficult to avoid even for Kang-Woo.

“How annoying.” Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

Tae-Hyun, who was flying around like a bothersome fly, was beginning to gradually piss Kang-Woo off.

“Die, damn dem—”

“Hey.”

Kang-Woo reached out to Tae-Hyun, who was coming at him from the left. Tae-Hyun saw the future through Foresight and was about to jump backward to evade.

Boom!

“Urgh!”

However, the Authority of Waves spread from Kang-Woo’s hand and swept everything around Tae-Hyun away. Tae-Hyun quickly teleported to barely evade the attack.

“How dare you act out against your hyung?”

Kang-Woo stomped his foot in irritation.

Bang!

A golden wave spread out in all directions with Kang-Woo at the epicenter. Tae-Hyun raised his dagger as he bit his lip. His necklace shone and created a translucent barrier in front of him.

Crash—!

“Kurgh!”

There was no way Tae-Hyun would be a match for Kang-Woo when not even an otherworldly being, who conquered countless worlds, was helpless against him. Tae-Hyun was blown backward.

“Haaa, haaa.”

As if he knew that he would not be able to block the attack, Tae-Hyun landed on the ground with minimal damage and got back on his feet. His hand holding the dagger was shaking subtly.

“Tae-Hyun,” Kang-Woo called.

“...”

“You already know, don’t you?” Kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun with deeply sunken eyes. “You can’t beat me, man.”

Even if he knew the future and his lack of combat experience was made up for, Tae-Hyun was still no match for Kang-Woo; the idea itself of facing Kang-Woo was absurd.

Tae-Hyun gripped his dagger tighter. His legs were shaking. He of course knew that he would never reach Kang-Woo’s level no matter what he did.

“Just give up alr—”

“I...” Tae-Hyun interjected and stared at Kang-Woo blazingly. “I will stop you.” He gripped his dagger even tighter. “I will protect this world... from the likes of you.”

“Fucking hypocrite.” Tae-Hyun glared at Kang-Woo in disgust. “Despite... all the people who trusted and followed you! You were our only hope!” Tae-Hyun bared his teeth in rage. “You... betrayed all of them.”

Tae-Hyun did not seem to have even the slightest intention of giving up.

“Hah,” Kang-Woo chuckled. “Oh, Tae-Hyun, Tae-Hyun, my little Tae-Hyun.” He stared at Tae-Hyun coldly. “Why are you being like this, Tae-Hyun? I’m being nice, aren’t I? I’m suggesting that we try to change the future, aren’t I? So why the fuck aren’t you listening to me, Tae-Hyun?”

Kang-Woo smiled nastily and licked his lips.

“How about I tell you an even easier way to change the future?”

Rumble—!!

An enormous amount of energy surged from Kang-Woo and weighed down on Tae-Hyun.

“You were the last survivor of that world, weren’t you? Hm? You said that you saw me destroy the world or something, didn't you?”

“K-Kuh...”

“In that case, wouldn’t the future change if I just kill you?”

Tae-Hyun’s face turned pale and his legs trembled in terror.

“You know what the butterfly effect is, don’t you? Don’t you think everything would change... if I killed you?”

“A-Arghh.”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Tae-Hyun?” Kang-Woo grabbed the frozen Tae-Hyun and whispered in his ear, “Answer me, motherfucker.”

“A-Aaaahh,” Tae-Hyun slurred as if he were suffocating.

Kang-Woo smiled brightly. “Haha. I’m kidding, Tae-Hyun. There’s no way I’d do that.”

Kang-Woo lightly shoved Tae-Hyun’s shoulder.

“Huff! Huff!” Tae-Hyun panted heavily as he clenched his throat.

‘This much of a scare should be enough.’

Kang-Woo leisurely stared at Tae-Hyun.

“... up.”

“Hm?”

However, Tae-Hyun pointed his dagger at Kang-Woo and shouted, “I... won’t give up!!”

‘Fucking hell.’

“No, I can’t give up!!”

‘How long are you gonna play protagonist for?’

“I... I...!!”

‘Stop it already, dude.’

“I will save this world with my own hands!!”

Whoooom!!

Bright purple translucent light similar to crystal powder poured out of Tae-Hyun’s necklace. It was like seeing a hero powering up amid life-threatening danger. Kang-Woo clenched his hair as he stared at Tae-Hyun enveloped in light.

‘Why the fuck are you doing this to me? You’re making me feel like the final boss.’