Becoming a Monster

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Unlayering the Entity’s Existence

Back within his soul, Noah stood calmly, his senses heightened as he ensured Ailetta’s consciousness was no longer lingering in the realm. After confirming her absence, his attention soon traveled to the entity above, who was peering back towards him, its eyes filled with impatience and bitter emotion.

”I know why you’re upset, and I don’t blame you,” Noah started, his voice steady, seemingly encompassing the very space itself as he spoke to the entity without a shred of resentment. ”My weakness was the cause for all of this happening...Although I should be thankful, I’m no fool....You intended to use me as a puppet, and from what I’m guessing, it most likely has something to do with those eyes of yours...”

The moment the entity’s eyes were mentioned, a powerful pressure bore down on Noah, but its effects were greatly diminished due to the alien barrier. Despite the suffocating intensity, Noah inwardly smiled, sensing he had hit a nerve.

”So, it seems that I’m close to the truth...So what are they then? Are they the number of souls you’ve taken? Or perhaps they have something to do with the number of species I inherit into my genes? Seeing as how you look like a mutation of what I am, I want to say that my latter guess is the most correct.”

Noah continued to speak without caring if the entity responded, in fact, he wasn’t sure if it could talk in the first place. However, the fact that his theories didn’t elicit a reaction as strong as the first led Noah to understand that both of his theories were flawed in some way.

”You know...” Noah continued, but his tone was more of a bystander, talking to himself more than to the entity.

”I think I would be pissed if you turned out to be a part of some higher level of creatures that goes around actually conquering planes-”

Before he could finish, a pressure even stronger than before emerged, this time threatening to overcome the barrier while also damaging the soul realm in the process. The entity fully unleashed an army of webs down upon Noah, the threads were enhanced with energy of pure darkness that resembled both a flame and a shadow.

It couldn’t stand by any longer while Noah was getting closer to its truth. It needed to control him, lest Noah use the knowledge to no longer attempt to use its power to grow stronger.

But Noah didn’t care about the attack transcending on him; he was strictly flabbergasted that a familiar plot from one of his stories turned out to be happening to him.

”You’re’ really....” Noah felt exasperated as he sighed deeply to himself, while listening to the powerful thuds of the entity’s attack shuddering against the barrier. Shattering ripples continued to rip into the empty space, and for the first time, the barrier was beginning to show damage, but it was coming at the price of potentially destroying realms that housed both of their souls.

”You can stop attacking now.” Noah muttered, his tone almost bored despite the risk of his soul’s destruction. But instead of relenting, the entity’s attacks grew more desperate.

”I said....You can stop attacking. What? It’s not like I’m going to stop using your power to stop growing stronger just because I know your goal now.”

The entity finally hesitated. Instead of the desperation it had shown previously, it now appeared surprised. A reaction that Noah quickly picked up on.

”Wait... You really thought... Hahaaa!” Noah’s voice cracked with disbelief, and then he burst into laughter again, sharper and more mocking than before. ”Hahaaa! You really thought I’d abandon your power just because I know your game now? You must be really desperate.”

The entity sent one powerful shockwave towards Noah, attempting to make him stop insulting its existence.

”Why would I give up on a power that’s made me what I am? That has gotten me this far. That has given me the chance to live my life the way ’I’ decide?”

”No, I’m not afraid of you, nor am I afraid of the plans you have for me, or this world. In fact, I’m going to continue to grow stronger, helping you grow stronger along the way. I’ll continue to fatten you up. I’ll make sure that you’re even stronger than that god who created all of this....and then.....”

Just as how Ailetta’s soul could materialize itself in the form of an eye, Noah’s soul began to shift. His clouds of energy began to recede and reshape themselves into four corners of his soul, forming four oppressive eyes reminiscent of his true face. But instead of his normal color palette, his gaseous eyes held a form where his sclera was made up of his crimson energies, while his iris was violet, and then his pupils, which shined the brightest of them all, was a holy white. A white so bright and intense that one may fear that his pupils would be the last thing someone would see before heading to their death.

Each of those eyes were staring into the entity’s own, holding no fear within them, while Noah’s driven emotions only intensified his presence during the suspense.

”And then, I’ll consume you of everything. Just like you planned to consume me.”

_________

Outside of Noah’s soul, Ailetta was scrutinizing Noah’s figure. She may have been locked out of his soul for the time being, but her connection to him allowed her to sense the threatening ripples of power within; an energy she was now all too familiar with.

”What didn’t he want me to see?” Her many eyes narrowed with intense scrutiny. The thought of trying to force her way back into ’their’ world entered her mind, but remembering the stern tone of his commanding voice sent shivers through her elastic form, shivers that caused her eyes to bend in happiness.

”What are you so giddying about?” Suddenly, Noah’s voice sounded below her. She looked over to find his vast eyes looking onto her, questionably given a quick glance around before he started to lift himself up from the ground.

Instead of answering, Ailetta watched Noah in his now naked glory, his once primal form receding as though what he had become was a temporary transformation. What remained of him now, was still a man, that was forever closer to being that of a monster. His silverish hair remained the same, but its length returned to what it once was. Pointed furry ears resided on the edges of his face. His snout was no longer there, replaced by his human features. However, the exoskeleton around his neck and jaw remained.

Changes continued throughout the rest of his figure. The fur around his shoulders remained, but lacked the sharp, dangerous bristles from before. His once lethal claws were now regular hands, though his fingernails were still that of his wolfish nature, being able to retract at will. The same as his hands, his feet’s exoskeleton still remained throughout his entire body, but the many sharp jagged edges receded; only small protruding edges were visible at the joints of his elbows and knees.

The six long spider appendages on his back were no more. What was left in its place was six rounded plates much denser than the rest of his exoskeleton.

But out of all his changes, Ailetta was only drawn to two particular details. The middle of his chest still contained the obsidian black orb with alien writing. But the orb within that had once pulsated, appearing as if it was a heartbeat, now it had become something entirely more eerie, it was now an eye not much different than the eyes that Noah made with the energies of his soul. And through this eye, Ailetta was able to see herself standing before Noah, as if she and Noah were the same person.

The surprising thing was there was an aura around her body, one that resembled a flame that encompassed her body, rising almost a foot above her. An aura that was made of pure darkness, with a thin layer of violet hugging the flame.

Although being able to be connected to the eye that would allow herself to be aware of Noah’s situation at all times, Ailetta’s thoughts were focused on discovering what else the eye could do. There should be a reason for the eye to contain the ability to see another creature’s aura and she planned to find out what else it was capable of. However, as hard as she tried, she couldn’t glean any sort of information to allow her to understand its inner workings.

The failure didn’t faze her; the attempt was just an impulsive action brought about from her curiosity. Her focus finally returned to the sight that held greater significance in her heart. Her eyes eerily rested on the spot between Noah’s legs, dangling without a care. Her thoughts were filled with the sexual pleasure it could bring her. They were more intense than that, more....obsessive. What she desired from it was the very life essence needed to be able to create a child, a symbol further declaring their love for one another.

Of course, Noah was aware of such stares, and through their bond, which was much more unique than that of his two creatures, he was fully aware of what she was thinking. Her thoughts didn’t displease him, nor did he fear rushing things in case he didn’t have the power to protect his future child. His instincts as a monster were much more prevalent than before; he instinctively acknowledged the idea of mating and creating stronger armies made from his essence. But for now, he just wasn’t in the mood.

”I’m guessing they decided to leave,” Noah said, interrupting Ailetta’s thoughts when hearing his inner mumblings. Her eyes refocused from his body, looking into his eyes, not a shred of embarrassment was reflected amidst her gazes. She couldn’t help but grow curious as to why Noah sounded disappointed, not knowing that Noah’s thoughts were thinking about the fact that the shop would now have a time limit now that the base’s capacity no longer met the requirements.

Sighing from losing out on such a convenient boon, Noah raised his palm a few inches away from his body while pointing his palm towards himself. One dense web shot out from his wrist, the web, branching out into five different paths, overlapping over and over past his limbs and his torso, soon enveloping him to acquire the same style of armor he previously wore. Except this time, he left the exoskeletons of his entire arms and lower legs bare, using his webbing as his form of clothing.

Multiple clicks of tongues echoed as one, signifying Ailetta’s dissatisfaction. Her antics were ignored by Noah, who looked over into the distance, observing the state of his two creatures. He could feel that Arachne was just moments away from awakening, but Fenrir was still in a dire state.

His eyes narrowed to the sight, the eye on the center of his chest ominously continued to search his surroundings. It was then that the eye stopped on a corpse, a corpse that was created with Ailetta’s ability to merge her slime creations into one.

”Le,” Noah called out to her before he started to walk towards Fenrir.

”That thing that you created....did you also merged their mana cores together?”