Becoming a Monster

Chapter 228: Chapter 228: New Addition

’I still have a long way to go,’ Noah seriously thought to himself as looked up, observing the entity’s growth, which continuously seemed to outpace his own.

”Tsk”, mentally he clicked his figurative tongue in mild annoyance. His earlier threat he gave to the creature appeared almost laughable. How could he grow strong enough to consume it if the creature was always one step ahead, its growth growing stronger while using his own efforts to become stronger?

The realization burned. Every battle, every evolution, every ounce of strength he’d clawed for, just for this creature to leech off of his achievements. He hated the entity’s parasitic-like existence, and yet, despite the loathing simmering in his chest, he couldn’t deny the truth. Its existence was also the very reason for his current strength. It was a bitter irony to accept.

Before Noah allowed his frustrations to consume him any further, his thoughts quickly subsided when a noticeable sense of fear locked in onto his soul.

”Oh, I almost forgot about you,” Noah spoke aloud to himself. His piercing gaze fell back to the tree, realizing that his own venomous hatred for the entity had inadvertently seeped into the tree’s core, igniting the fear radiating from it.

The tree quivered under his scrutiny, it had no way of understanding the complexities of his turmoil; it only knew the overwhelming feelings of dread pressing down on its soul from the spiritual pressure being released by the one opposite it.

”Relax,” Noah said with a sharp exhale, reigning in his emotions as best he could. ”That wasn’t meant for you.”

Noah’s soul began to move forward, inching ever so slowly so as not to spook the tree any further. But he didn’t realize how pure the tree was, despite its ominous appearance. It was still one of nature, and its existence was quick to pick up on the intentions of others. It was partly the reason why it felt no difference when manipulating the creatures of the forest. The creatures sought to use it, to control it for their own gain, so why wouldn’t it do the same?

As for Noah, the tree could sense his sincerity, despite the overwhelming pressure from before. Its core pulsed faintly in acknowledgment before dimming slightly as it too began to slowly make its way towards Noah. Its speed was slightly faster than Noah’s. Although it had rejected Noah’s earlier proposal, it was now looking more forward to forming a mutual bond than Noah was.

Sensing the tree’s anticipation, Noah inwardly smirked. ”Good. Then let’s stop wasting time. We both have a lot to gain from this.”

Noah steadied his focus as the two were now upon each other. Both souls reached out with their tendrils of energy, interlocking with one another as they began the delicate process of solidifying their bond. Though the figure looming above watched from afar, Noah buried its stalker gaze behind him. He would deal with it in time. For now, until he obtains his answer, he would build, grow, and survive; one step at a time.

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”He’s almost done,” Ailetta mutter to herself, but loudly enough for the others to hear. Only Arachne was concerned with the announcement, her gaze was constantly roaming the rest of the forest, keeping an eye out for any possible danger that could endanger knowing while he was vulnerable.

On the other hand, Eve was seen hovering above Diablo’s bundle of bones. A few were now scattered after the heated interaction between the both the spider and the snake fight. She was entirely oblivious to Noah’s precarious state. Her expression was stern, her hollowed eyes seemingly glaring towards the empty skull on the ground covered with dirt.

She stood motionlessly, not once did her gaze leave the skull’s remains. It was only when the skull centered at her chest shot out a vacuum of energy from its eyes that her body finally stirred. Intense miasma conversed around its skull that quickly overtook the rest of Eve’s body. Instead of his core going back to his old mounds of discarded bones, the skull on Eves chest began to move. Ever so slowly it began to protrude further out from Eve’s chest before it eventually unattached itself from her figure.

The skull continued to burn with the miasma, building up around it. The skull seemingly used the miasmic energy to allow itself to float in place at a height that was eerily similar. Still, the miasma enveloping Eve’s body continued. Eventually, the miasma enveloping her and the skull interlocked, creating a bridge that was similar to the transfer of Diablo’s core.

Crack!*

Suddenly, the sounds of multiple dislocations of bones sounded. The stillness of the forest, now that everything was over, had drawn the attention away from the others who had their attention elsewhere, even drawing the attention of Arachne, who had been hyper-focused on guarding Noah. Eve’s skeletal structure was continuously breaking down, tearing apart at every joint. Eve’s hollow eyes betrayed no pain or hesitation as her bones splintered and separated. Each fragment of her frame seemed to move with purpose, pulled through the miasmic bridge that linked her body to the floating skull.

The skull, still hovering ominously above the ground, would flicker with bursts of light each time a bone would pass through. The bones would shift as they attached themselves to one another, and during the time the bones were being aligned, they were also changing. The miasma around the skull was losing its intensity as the bones were being fed with energy, thickening and mutating as they slotted themselves in their right place.

Despite the grotesque transformation, Eve’s own disassembly wasn’t damaging to her body as it initially appeared. Her body’s stature grew smaller with each bone lost. And while her form should be left without limbs or bones, the miasma that covered her figure also grew smaller, the energy being used to replace what was lost. Over time, the chaotic exchange of energy began to settle, revealing both Eve’s and Diablo’s original bodies.

Eve tilted her head upward towards Diablo, her eyes dazed, while reflecting worry. Diablo on the other hand, gripped his bony hands into fist, his eyes glowed dangerously, glinting with a dangerous fervor as his head snapped towards a sudden figure behind Eve. His eyes centered on the zombified ant behind her, the one that had effortlessly taken him down.

Diablo’s gaze burned, but it wasn’t hatred or anger that fueled the flames within his eyes; it was an unyielding determination. His entire being radiated the desire for a rematch. The memory of his defeat still lingered, not as a source of shame, but as a challenge he was desperate to overcome.

To Diablo, the ant represented more than a rival; it was a threat to his purpose. He had always been Eve’s protector, her shield against the dangers of the world. But now, standing in the shadow of the ant that had bested him, Diablo couldn’t ignore the creeping sensation that his position was being replaced.

”Papa?” Diablo froze, the fierce glow in his eyes dimming ever so slightly as he turned to look at her. The two stared at each other in silence, but the smile that returned on Eve’s face was a clear indication that they were somehow able to communicate in their own way, or it was all just Eve’s imagination.

”Papa!” She lunged towards Diablo, who remained unmoving in response to her affection. Her small figure was only capable of holding onto his leg. Despite her affection not being reciprocated, her smile and content remained.

Meanwhile, Fenrir, who was interrupted by Eve’s and Diablo’s distracting transformation, returned his attention to a certain someone that caught his interest due to its monstrous size.

”Fight me!” He growled towards the giant snake, whose massive body shook, its eyes reflecting how aggrieved it was from the repeated challenge. The snake’s body didn’t tremble from fear, but from its frustration and reluctance. It clearly understood Fenrir’s intent, but how could it accept his challenge when its jaws were still bound by Noah’s webs?

The snake, despite its bound state, managed a low, rumbling growl, a clear warning. It turned its massive head away, pointedly ignoring the wolf as if his challenge wasn’t worth its attention.

This blatant dismissal made Fenrir’s fur bristle with irritation. ”Coward,” he snarled, his eyes darting around the forest to find something, anything to keep him entertained. With nothing in the vicinity, his gaze once again returned to the snake, his claws edging into the ground, muscles tensing as he was preparing to force the snake to entertain him.

”Fenrir,” his body stiffened, his tail sheepishly lowering while he tried to pretend he was clawing at the ground. Moments later he looked over to the one that called him, noticing Noah’s gaze still centered on him. Learning from experience, Fenrir sprawled to the ground, laying on his belly. With this position, he knew that Noah couldn’t resist overlooking his transgressions. Flattening his ears and wagging his tail ever so slightly, he tilted his head just enough to add an air of innocence to his usually wild demeanor.

Noah raised an eyebrow, ”Don’t try to act cute now,” he muttered, though his voice lacked true irritation. He was helpless to Fenrir’s sporadic actions.

His head turned to address everyone else, Fenrir’s tail wagged even more, seeing that his unparalleled skill worked once again.

”Everyone, meet the new addition to the team.”