Becoming a Monster

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Strength in Unity

”Now, Isabelle!”

At the sound of his command, Isabelle’s body surged with golden light, her aura radiating outward like a divine shield. The purifying energy emanating from her was different from Mark’s; it wasn’t just empowering, it seemed to cleanse the very air around them, pushing back the oppressive weight of the undead. As her aura intensified, the evolved zombies that had been charging towards them hesitated for the first time, sensing something that disturbed their unnatural existence.

The moment her aura reached its peak, enveloping the area around her on all sides by at least a 15-yard circumference; the purifying nature of her ability began to cause the undead’s skin to fizzle, as if they were being burned just from being inside her aura. Their advance continued, but their movements were slower, the pressure they emanated weakened. And from what Isabelle told the others, any undead or tainted creature’s strength would also be weakened.

”As long as you stay within the light, then everything will be fine.” Mark called, his words proving to be unnecessary. Everyone who was under the aura’s influence felt their bodies being regenerated; some even realized that the aura contained a healing property as they felt recent wounds that were too inconsequential to heal were beginning to fade away.

”Paul, you can start. Jasmine, step back for now. You do have enough mana for it still, right?”

”I have enough, don’t worry, I know what I have to do.”

During their conversation, Paul stepped forward, his body began to shift. Activating his skill made his body return to the stone-like appearance that was his unique skill.

His appearance wasn’t so different from his normal usage of the skill, but a key difference was the durability of his body itself. His appearance was similar to stone, but it was no different than steel under his use.

After losing his shield in the past fight, he carried a two-handed hammer that was as tall as himself. His expression was determined as mana stirred within him.

With a deep grunt, he slammed his foot into the ground. The force caused the earth beneath him to crack, spreading out in a fissure that radiated horizontally from his position. As the ground split open, the rubble within the cracks shifted unnaturally, drawn upward as if under some invisible force.

Within seconds, the rubble began to take form, assembling into figures that mirrored Paul’s current stone-like appearance. These golems were faceless, their bodies and weapons forged entirely from the material of the earth itself.

The stone figures stood in formation, awaiting command. Instead, Paul’s mana surged, his body subtly releasing a faint red aura that flickered briefly. During that moment, every zombie nearby turned their crazed gaze onto him.

At the same time of Paul’s taunt, each individual golem also faintly unleashed the same flicker, causing turmoil with the approaching group. The zombies stumbled over one another, unsure who to go for, but within that time, the golems were running in tandem, their heavy stone limbs moving with a surprising speed, with Paul slightly in the lead.

Even up until the moment Paul was in striking, he had yet to position his weapon to attack. Instead, his momentum continued to increase, charging headfirst into the first zombie, forcibly stomping it into the ground before he continued through the others.

His summoned golems, though powerful, didn’t share his relentless drive. Lacking the fine control of Paul’s direct command, they acted as little more than solid barriers. Each golem stopped on contact, functioning as mere distractions, soaking up the aggression of nearby zombies and drawing their attacks. Still, they fulfilled their role, creating a buffer between the horde and the rest of the group.

Paul understood his role; he would continue to venture deeper into the horde, leaving the group to deal with the few zombies that were able to get past him. However, after brushing past the next set of zombies, he was met with one of the towering ones. It swiped at him, attempting to uplift him so it could easily devour him. His response was fast as he quickly stopped in his tracks. The change was almost unnoticeable, but his hardened feet merged with the concrete beneath him, making him into an almost immovable force.

The swipe from the towering zombie slammed into him, but he didn’t budge an inch. He stared up at the creature, unfazed, his grip tightening around his hammer. Now that he had stopped its attack, it was his turn. With a grunt, he raised his hammer high, his hammer containing the force of the attack that was dealt onto him, shattering the zombie’s leg from underneath it, only to be attacked from the other surrounding zombies afterwards.

Seeing everything going so well, Mark’s gaze held an almost vacant look to them. His thoughts weren’t too occupied with their current fight at the moment. He could only wonder, ’how close are we to him now?’

”Mark?” Jasmine called out his name, grabbing his attention. Noticing her concerned gaze, he dismissively shook his head, not wanting to discuss it right now. He then looked over the situation once more, feeling that the situation was in their grasp. His eyes then stopped on the two special zombies that he believed could potentially change the battlefield.

”Jas, take over for now. The situation has changed; the faster we get rid of those two variables, the better. You can go ahead by using ’that’.” Jasmine noted his urgency, only nodding to show her understanding as she stepped forward, ready to command the next phase of the attack.

Mark then turned his attention to Raven, who was still there despite her overbearing ability to transform into a colossal presence, but Mark had gained a hint from Levi why she rarely used that form.

”Raven, don’t worry about the risk of being infected. As long as you stay within the field, early signs of infections will be healed.”

Then, without hesitation, Mark called out to another member of their team. ”Ishii!”

Gone was the naive, carefree expression that Ishii usually wore around his friends. His demeanor now radiated something far more dangerous, bloodlust. The ragtag pieces of armor he had strapped together made him look haphazard, almost like he was tempting fate, wearing only what would give him the speed and agility to wreak havoc on his enemies. While others might think his appearance foolish, the intensity in his eyes spoke volumes.

Mark, catching that deadly gleam in Ishii’s gaze, allowed himself a brief moment of reflection. He knew better than to show any hesitation, but deep down, he recognized something unsettling. Despite everything, Raven’s prowess, Jasmine and Alicia’s raw power, there was no denying that Ishii might be the strongest among them, even surpassing Mark himself. It was something he’d never admit out loud, but after witnessing Noah’s power and the trials they’d faced, it no longer bruised his pride as it once might have.

Noah had opened his eyes to what real leadership required: acknowledging not only his own strength but also the abilities of those who might surpass him. And right now, Ishii was the weapon they needed.

”Ishii, we both need to take care of the two deadly ones approaching. Knowing your skills, you’re better suited to take on the fast one coming from the rear, I’ll take care of the big guy.”

Even with Mark’s orders that would potentially put Ishii’s life at risk, Ishii only responded with a cold nod, his body instantly taking off into a sprint in the direction of the monster.

Mark’s eye twitched, unbelieving of how forward Ishii was, not even waiting for his order to start. But now that Ishii went off on his own, Mark also needed to take care of his end.

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Noah would be surprised if he were to see the others’ growth, not because he cared about them, but because he respected those who strived for power. And if he were to still go by the godly voice warning, then in one more day they would be inflicted with a change that could potentially end their existence.

However, unlike the struggles and worries that the others would have to go through, Noah’s group were leisurely walking the streets as they headed towards their destination. Currently there was nothing that could threaten them, and any creature that was dumb enough to attack was taken out effortlessly. Zombies were already creatures that were completely at his mercy, but now the disparity was even greater now that Eve was by his side.

It didn’t matter if the zombies evolved or not, as long as they held the same corrupted mana as her, she was able to control them effortlessly, leaving them to present themselves to their deaths.

The evolved animals were different; besides the occasional insect, most sentient creatures were often wary of their presence, but never approached. Fenrir’s presence alone filled most of the nearby creatures into a fearful state.

While the lack of enemies meant fewer chances to grow through experience levels, Noah remained in good spirits. His mind lingered on the morning’s events, where every member of his team had experienced an upgrade in their abilities