Becoming a Monster

Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Too much Suspense

Ailetta’s heart pounded in her chest, her mind raced as she recalled every moment she had shared with Noah, every time he protected her, guided her, and trusted her. But now, she felt like a burden, a liability that doesn’t deserve to stand by his side anymore. She feared being the weak link that could jeopardize Noah’s safety, but it was also this fear that fueled her resolve.

She gave one last look in Noah’s direction before retreating to the shadows of a nearby corner. Her arms felt like mountains as she struggled to lift them. Her hesitance still resisted against her as she began to activate a spell, a spell that would be considered her trademark ability, but something was different.

A slime still appeared, but it was different than before. The once simple and unremarkable creature had transformed into a grotesque parody of its former self. Its normally smooth, featureless surface was now marred by bulging, terrifying googly eyes that seemed to twitch and move independently, following any motion around it. Eerie, gaping mouths had also formed across its gelatinous body, each lined with rows of sharp, jagged teeth. The creature now released a subtle sinister aura. Soon all of its eyes rotated to peer into Ailetta’s nervous gaze.

To summon it, the summoner must summon with an intention during its summon. Because of this, the creature already had an inkling to what Ailetta desired.

”You are an interesting life form.....” its voice carried like an echo as its voice sounded from each individual mouth.

It soon edged closer to her, its eyes seemingly looking into the depths of Ailetta’s soul. Knowing what was about to happen but not knowing how or what was going to happen afterwards, Ailetta’s instincts screamed for her to run.

The creatures’ mouths all smiled, noticing Ailetta’s inner turmoil, and yet intrigued to the mortals’ resolve.

When it arrived just barely in front of her, the slime muttered to itself, but Ailetta was able to catch it before the slime quickly swallowed her whole. Its body transformed into one mouth that stretched longer than the height of Ailetta’s figure.

”I like you....and because of that, I’ll try to make sure not to consume your entire existence.”

———

”Yes, just like that. Don’t worry about actually stopping them, just circle as many times as you can!” Noah urged Arachne on, letting her take charge of rounding up the enemies.

Arachne became a blur of motion,weaving webs and darting around the insects with unmatched speed and agility. She trapped the smaller groups with ease, carefully avoiding the much larger creatures in the swarm.

As Noah saw that it was time to start his plan, he began channeling his mana. He maintained his sword in one hand while using his free hand to cast the spell, simultaneously activating Rulers Fury to amplify his stats with the sword’s bonus. The anticipation of the carnage he was about to unleash should have brought him a thrill of exhilaration. Yet, for some unknown reason, Noah felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

Boom!*

Momentarily distracted by the collision caused by Fenrir tackling a beetle into the ground, Noah’s thoughts snapped back to the situation at hand. His palm was already glowing with a fully charged manabolt, its energy waves threatening to break free.

”I don’t like this....is this what Arachne meant by sensing danger nearby?” Noah narrowed his eyes, disturbed by the void growing in his soul. An unsettling feeling gnawed at him, refusing to fade despite his acknowledgement.

Instead of confronting the feeling, Noah intensified his Ruler’s Fury ability, using it to drown out the unsettling emotion by fueling his rage; a double edged sword that began to wrap his psyche.

”Fuck You!” Noah roared, venting his frustration on the targeted insects as he unleashed the swirling mass of destruction. His anger was a clear indication that the skill had already started to take toll on his psyche.

The manabolt exploded with a deafening explosion, tearing through the ranks of the insects. The ground trembled under the impact, leaving a mini crater where the swarm had been, littered with the dismembered bodies of insects that were barely clinging to life.

The web holding them together was fully disintegrated in the explosion, but Arachne was already preparing another batch to set off more fireworks.

With Noah holding his own on one side and Raven standing at the forefront on the other, it seemed like the battlefield was under their control. But that was only on the surface....

”Their numbers are increasing! They’re getting through!”

The frantic shouts brought the irregularity to everyone’s attention, pulling Ravens focus back to the overall situation. Her sole mission had been to keep the giant centipedes and beetles from breaking through, and in her single-minded focus on her one goal that she didn’t realize her own shortsightedness.

It became increasingly apparent that the insects’ numbers were not dwindling but growing. At least, that was Raven’s initial assessment, until she noticed something was off. Her eyes widened in shock when she realized a certain unique sound was missing.

”Peterson!” she shouted, unable to pull her attention away from the invading horde.

”Five minutes!” Peterson yelled back atop the rooftops, struggling to remove the empty ammunition drum to replace it. ”Damnit! Get over here and help, we don’t have much time!” he barked to the nearest person.

Raven’s anxiety grew as she processed Peterson’s urgency. ’Five minutes,’ she thought, her mind racing to piece together the situation. Realizing that the insects’ numbers weren’t in fact increasing, the pressure was somewhat alleviated, but the time limit given was still disconcerting.

”Arrgh!” She grunted, a sharp pain emitting from her ankle. Glancing down to see a brightly multicolored small centipede latched onto her, its venomous bite sending searing pain through her leg.

Reacting to the pain, Raven furiously roared, stabbing her spear into her own skin to pry the centipede away from her while also severing it in two. Her anger couldn’t prevent her from stomping on the remains, crushing it into the concrete, forming a small crater with the imprint of her foot.

Meanwhile, the people behind her were forced to confront the unimpeded numbers.

With her distraction, a wave of insects pressed forward, exploiting the gap left by her momentary lapse of focus. In their panic, the people who were equipped with guns opened fire, no longer cautious of those around them. The sudden close proximity of frantic gun fire, mixed with the destabilizing presence of monstrous, man-eating insects, turned what was supposed to be an organized defense into utter chaos.

Their frantic actions did nothing to stem the tide of aggressive insects; instead, it only made them easier targets.

The first scream sounded, a desperate cry from a woman who couldn’t prevent one of the venomous centipedes from closing in. Its exoskeleton was far from as resilient as its armored counterparts, a fact that was clearly evident by the woman’s bullets puncturing through its exoskeleton. However, the centipede continued, seemingly undeterred by the injuries forced upon it.

Its movement grew faster as it closed the distance, driven by the hunger for fresh prey. It lunged with a speed that was too fast for the woman to contend with, sinking its venomous fangs into the woman’s leg. Her scream became a choked gasp as the venom began to spread instantly, causing her to collapse to the ground in a convulsive fit.

Unlike its unevolved predecessor whose venom mainly acted as a paralytic, this centipede venom was far more insidious. It rapidly spread through the woman’s bloodstream, not only paralyzing her but also causing excruciating pain as it broke down tissues and nerves from within. Her body continued to contort in agony, her muscles seizing as the venom ravaged her system.

The sight of the centipede acquiring its first meal seemed to fuel the swam’s ferocity. While those who witnessed the horrific effects of the venom hesitated, fear taking root in their hearts. Some wanted to flee, while others continued to fire wildly, their shots growing more erratic as the pressure mounted. The once orderly line of defense was now a chaotic melee, with gunfire, and screams covering every corner.

More victims began to pile up as the slower but equally deadly insects caught up. The beetles with armored shells pushed through the panicked crowd, their mandibles effortless crushing limbs and bodies while their exoskeletons rendered them almost impervious to any gunfire that couldn’t penetrate their eyes.

Adding to the terror, the small car sized ants bulldozed their way through, their jaws much more powerful than any of the other insects. An ant was able to display his menacing strength when one of the mutated dogs within the K-9 unit approached it to protect its owner. Being much more intelligent than the ant, the canine knew to avoid the mandibles, maneuvering its way around the ant, sinking its fangs into the insect’s less armored leg.

The leg was broken under the force of the canine’s enhanced bite, but the ant barely flinched to the injury. When the canine moved to attack another leg, the ant retaliated, its powerful mandibles snapping shut. The dog’s growls turned into a yelp of pain as the ant’s jaws clamped down on its body, effortlessly severing the dog’s body from its neck.

The ant, undeterred by its kill, proceeded to scope up the largest part of the dog, instinctively attempting to transport it back to the nest. It was about to turn when its antenna began to twitch before pointing towards the three ant generals seemingly overseeing the battle. The antennae pointed in their direction, as if receiving a command. Mechanically, the ant dropped the dog’s body, not hesitating to abandon its prize, rejoining the relentless assault.

With the insects’ display of overpowering prowess, the humans seemed to have no hope of defending. It was only because of the effort of two groups besides Raven, that kept the base from being overrun.

Raven’s group of women were fierce, each of the women cared little about who contributed to what as they each would attack a singular enemy that boarded on reckless abandon. Each of them attacked without hesitation, not wanting Raven to carry their burden alone.

The twenty women organized themselves into groups of five, maintaining a good distance away from Raven while also acting as the next defensive line to breach. Three of the groups were meant to confront any opposition that managed to pull through while the last groups focused was to support the group who began to struggle.

Besides their group, it was Mark’s group who stood as the final line of defense. Positioned closer to the base entrance. Despite the dire need to have able fighters in the front line, she prioritized the safety of the base’s inhabitants above all else.

Without any prior knowledge or experience of Mark’s group’s abilities, Raven could only blindly trust that they would hold the line when the time could. If not for the fact they were able to survive and make it this far, then she would’ve never made the decision to leave the fate of hundreds of people in their hands.

The group of students may not have fought with the same reckless abandon as Raven’s women, but they still gave it their all. Their use of abilities compared to the others at the base were far more refined. They understood each other’s strengths and had developed a tacit understanding of how to complement one another in battle.

Paul refrained from using his taunt ability, in fear that he would disrupt everything that Raven was achieving if his skill caused the surrounding insects to affect everyone else. Instead, he focused on using his ability to harden himself, making sure to be the first line of contact between them and the insects.

Despite his confidence in his shield, Paul knew this time would be different. The power these insects exhibited was far beyond anything he had faced before, pushing his ability to its limits. To mitigate this, the group devised a plan.

Ishii was no longer acting as just an attacker; his job was to use his unique ability on the creature contesting Paul, transferring half of the creature’s strength to himself. With this ability in effect, Paul could not only endure the impact but also knock the insects off balance, whether they were beetles or ants.

And during the creature’s moment of vulnerability, Ishii would switch to the offensive, approaching the unbalanced creature in time to unleash one lethal attack empowered, by the creature’s own strength.

Paul and Ishii alone made a powerful duo. With the others supporting them, being the last line of defense seemed achievable, so long as the numbers of creatures didn’t exceed what they could handle.

Amidst this, Mark acted alone, driven by a sacrificial determination to protect his sister and the hundreds of innocent people depending on them. This sense of duty and desperation triggered his unique ability, ”Heroic Spirit.” It was the same skill he had unleashed in his fight against the tentacle zombie, a power that doubled all of his attributes while also significantly increasing the lethality of his weapon. While he didn’t possess the raw power of an awakened one, the gap between his strength and that of the insects was starkly apparent.

As Mark fought with renewed vigor, his sword cutting through the swarm with ruthless efficiency, the tide of the battle began to shift. With both Mark’s and Raven’s groups relentlessly chipping away at the insect horde, the chances of making it out with minimal casualties seemed to be improving.

But it is always in the moments of hope where life hits with the hardest dose of reality. The same tremor that initiated the start of the insect’s attack struck again, this time, much stronger than before.

An indistinguishable cry sounded, the noise resonating through the battlefield and causing all of the insects to suddenly scatter, retreating in the direction they had originally come from. It was an eerie and unsettling sight, the swarm that had been relentless just moments before now fleeing in apparent fear or obedience to some unseen command.

The cry was soon followed by two distinct sounds that added to the growing tension. The first was the rapid clatter of what seemed like hundreds of taps, a noise that echoed ominously through the area. The second was a low, continuous buzzing, faint at first but growing louder with each passing second. The two sounds seemed to come from different directions, but both were heading toward them with alarming speed.

This time, Noah looked directly towards the source of both sounds, his eyes narrowed pensively, recalling what Arachne told him before about the dangerous presence.

Unlike the rest, Noah was able to catch the first glimpse of both creatures approaching. His eyes widened in recognition as a chilling realization dawned on him. It had been a long time since Noah had felt this way, a sense of genuine fear and thrill at the prospect of a fight where his life would be on the line.