Chapter 329: Parasites Arrive

Leon woke up a full day later. He didn’t know exactly how much time had passed, but he knew it had definitely been more than a few hours.

Leaving Selene and Rune in the bunker again, he went outside to the surface, scanning his surroundings.

The sun was just rising, casting a golden glow upon the land. Leon inhaled the fresh air and stretched his arms wide.

His injured arm was fully healed now thanks to his Adaptation trait, so he had no trouble moving to the next phase of his plan.

He glanced at the Dome indifferently, then began walking in the opposite direction.

His target was the Three Ancient Cities of the Dome Defenders—the place where they had been ambushed and where he had left the developing parasite.

He didn’t even get there before he spotted the monstrosity. It towered above the city walls, moving forward with several legs supporting its immense weight.

Leon had no idea how that biology worked, and he didn’t care. He only cared about how strong it was.

’Tier Three...’

The green crystal on its forehead made his eyes glint with greed. However, he held back. It wasn’t as though he could easily kill it, anyway.

’But this won’t be enough. Not in the slightest.’

Remembering the Tier Four serpent in the shrine underneath the palace, he shivered.

Gritting his teeth, he turned away from the humongous abomination and headed in a different direction.

’Let’s make more ghastly abominations.’

.........

Seven days passed, yet King Jared found no rest. The human still hadn’t been found, and his partner was presumably dead too.

It wasn’t until the following morning after the chase that he realized that Leon had escaped through the underground drainage, and the realization infuriated him.

He couldn’t believe that he had been played by one measly Tier One alien. As he sat on the throne, he allowed it to cool his anger.

’As long as we guard the Heart and keep the dome powered, everything will be fine.’

Suddenly, he frowned, feeling uneasy.

He had a sickening feeling that the human should be searched for even more vigorously. A silent enemy was always the deadliest, after all. Gritting his teeth, he gave the order to extend the search. The human had to be found.

Even so, he remained uneasy.

He only found out the reason for his uneasiness the next morning. As he was having breakfast with his family, a royal guard stumbled into the dining room, looking horrified.

"M-my king! I bring bad news!"

King Jared’s heart tightened. "What is it?"

The guard hesitated, then spoke hurriedly. "The towers sighted an army of parasites coming toward the Dome. There are several thousand of them, and there are some Tier Three hosts among them too."

King Jared’s expression hardened, and he stood up. "Get every Tier Three and Tier Two warrior out there. We must defend the city."

Deep down in his heart, he couldn’t help but worry. ’If the parasites put too much pressure on the dome, it’ll drain the Heart even faster. We cannot afford that.’

To his surprise, the guard didn’t leave immediately even after hearing his order.

"Why aren’t you leaving yet? Did you not hear me?"

The man immediately dropped to his knees. "I-It’s not just that, my King. The towers stated that... there might be a Tier Four abomination among them."

King Jared’s eyes widened in shock. "Tier Four?!"

Even the other members of the Royal Family were horrified. The First Queen shook, glancing at her husband.

"My King, what... what do we do? Can the dome hold out against that?"

King Jared didn’t answer her. Instead, he focused on the guard. "Are you absolutely sure that this information is correct?"

The guard trembled. "I dare not lie, my King. This is the direct report from the towers."

Hearing that, King Jared threw his head back and laughed sadly. His eyes were full of resentment towards no one in particular.

Why did his race have to struggle so much? Was the Star Stream really fair?

Gritting his teeth, he left the dining room, leaving behind one order.

"Carry out my orders and assemble every Tier Three and Tier Two warrior, including those that have retired. We are all fighting."

The guard scrambled to his feet and rushed outside to communicate the order to the others.

The king went underground, directly to the World Shrine where the Heart was kept. He stepped into the chamber, his gaze locked on the pulsing heart.

The serpent hissed and lowered its head to look at him. "You seem troubled, Vaelari King. Did that interesting alien come again?"

King Jared shook his head. "No, he didn’t. Something else did—a Tier Four parasite."

The serpent fell silent immediately. It closed its eyes for a few seconds, then opened them in astonishment.

"It’s true...! There is really one!"

Hearing that confirmation, King Jared’s heart sank. However, he steeled himself, as he was prepared for this.

"I have come to ask for your assistance. Just like my ancestors did."

The serpent hissed, its eyes shining with dark glee. "You want my assistance? Do you know the cost?"

King Jared closed his eyes and nodded. "Six hundred and ninety children below one year old and two hundred and ten virgins. Isn’t that what you want?"

The serpent’s lips curled into a smile. "Very well. I will help you deal with that ugly thing. I trust you know better than to break our agreement."

With that, the serpent, raised its head into the darkness above and vanished. After confirming that it was gone, King Jared sighed weakly.

"The real monster killing us is you, and I will kill you someday."

He glanced at the Heart and checked his evolution requirements for Tier Four. Everything had been completed except for one.

[6. Protect the Heart of your world for 44 years. Time left: 3 Years.]

He closed his eyes and turned around.

’Three years, and I will make you pay.’

Arming himself with his battle-axe, he quickly went to the surface to join the imminent battle. This was going to be the greatest war he had ever fought against the parasites, and hopefully, not the last.