Becoming a Monster

Chapter 281: Chapter 281: A Heros’ Many Trump Cards

The Kaiju’s transformation recreated a nightmare that the group didn’t expect to go through again, helplessness and despair. The same emotions that they were forced to go through when going against the Ant Queen.

The mere memory of it pushed Mark and the others to strive higher, refusing to relive that horror.

Since their awakening, they have grown stronger, overcoming every foe in their path. Many believed they had finally caught up to the one person they once thought unreachable.

But Mark reacted the most drastically. His aura, once swirling with blue and green, faded into pure gold. Fueled by his relentless drive to rise above the challenge, his Heroic Spirit ability activated by its own accord.

This time, it didn’t merely double his attributes like before, it tripled!

The ability demanded absolute conviction. Even a moment of doubt, even the slightest crack in his will as a leader, would render it useless. That was precisely why its power surpassed ordinary amplifiers. And like most of his group, Mark had prioritized honing his unique skill above all else.

Now, his body became lighter, faster, stronger. His wounds closed almost instantly, and any lingering fatigue vanished.

His eyes were filled with confidence and the resolve to win at all costs.

He refused to be powerless again, he refused to continue to allow that figure to continue to make him feel as if he was never strong enough.

His next action resembled the Kaiju, his body suddenly vanished.

The Kaiju was nearly done with its transition when its tail moved with a speed so fast that the air around it created a miniature explosion that shattered the ground beneath it.

Boom!

its tail blocked Mark’s sword, the impact between the two created a shockwave that created a miniature crater underneath their footing.

The two were at a standstill, Mark’s face was completely neutral, but his gaze looked into the monster’s eyes with such resoluteness, it was as though he had already decided that he was going to win.

Crack.

Mark’s infused sword continued to cut into the Kaiju’s hide, grinding against its tail and sending out bursts of sparks as it pressed forward. Slowly, relentlessly, the blade dug into its scales, until finally, a tiny, almost imperceptible wound was made.

The Kaiju’s aura became sharp, its tail clicking in three different places, extending and curving in ways that made its tail appear independent from the rest of its body.

The upper end of its tail that further stretched from one of its segmented layers, twisted and attacked Mark’s face with the intention of piercing his skull.

Following the attack, its brandished claws swiped in quick succession. Mark, despite his explosive stat increase was still put on the defensive.

His sword intercepted the blows where it could, but each impact rattled his arms, he barely had time to think, at this rate, one slip on and he could die.

A clawed hand came aiming to stab through his heart, forcing Mark to sidestep. But before he regained his footing, the Kaiju’s tail lashed out, its lethal tip aimed directly at his ribs.

Again he had to dodge, twisting just enough to avoid impalement, but the Kaiju was relentless as it capitalized on his momentary imbalance. Its other arm was already swinging towards him, about to catch Mark mid-motion to send him flying.

Clang!

But Ishii re-entered the battle. The Kaju was now stronger than Ishii in all aspects, but Ishii’s swordsmanship still enabled him to perform a well-timed slash to deflect the attack aiming for Mark. Sparks erupted from the clash of his blade meeting the creature’s glowing claws.

”You’re not fighting this thing alone,” Ishii stated, his voice steady despite the sheer pressure exuding from the beast. He would’ve interfered sooner, but he was still undecided. If both he and Mark were preoccupied with this one creature, then who will help the others when fighting the other individually strong zombies?

But seeing the Kaiju in action, Ishii had instantly made up his mind. He couldn’t allow Mark to fall. And although he had faith in Mark’s strength, he could tell that this creature wasn’t something he could handle alone.

Mark exhaled sharply, initially he was going to deny Ishii’s aid, not just because of his pride, but because he too understood that Ishii would be needed elsewhere.

”Let’s end this fast.”

The Kaiju didn’t give them the luxury of planning. With an oppressive screech, it lunged towards Mark again.

Mark and Ishii both moved in tandem.

Ishii jumped backwards the moment he felt his body growing weaker, this was the moment he was waiting for. Mark on the other hand confronted the creature directly, but this time his aura began to change. Meeting all the conditions of a hero and facing off against a creature that was stronger than him without losing his resolve, his heroic ability took on another fate-altering change.

When his aura would triple his attributes evenly, his aura focused on his legs and the sole of his feet. His other states lowered by half the usual increase, making his speed that was enhanced three times to nearly become faster at four times the usual rate. His speed was finally faster than the Kaiju’s’, but only slightly. But that minor detail might just be enough to change the flow of the fight.

The Kaiju wasn’t prepared for the sudden change, allowing for Mark to nearly dodge its claws to enter its flank. His aura flared once again, almost subconsciously. There was no delay in the transition of his energy that now transferred itself not to his attributes, but to the sword itself.

The holy blade connected with the creature’s hardened scales, and unlike before, it sank deeper. Blacked cracks spread from the point of impact; the Kaiju’s malicious negative energy reacted strongly towards the holy energy that burned within it.

The Kaiju roared in pain, its tail snapping towards him in retaliation. But Mark wasn’t there anymore.

The moment Mark disengaged; the Kaiju found its strength grew slightly weaker. Its neck snapped as it pinpointed the reason. Ishii had already entered his stance.

Ishii’s expression darkened, the skill that should allow him to receive nearly 50% of two of his opponents’ attributes seemed to barely even receive five.

He had expected such a result but seeing that the worst outcome had in fact transpired; the moment his other accumulated stats wear off he would only become a burden.

Closing his eyes deeply, Ishii’s eyes opened with a resolve to use his trump card.

”Mark!”

Mark glanced over, witnessing Ishii holding his sword in the form of a prayer. At the sight, Mark instantly disappeared, this would change everything.

He arrived directly in front of Ishii, and the moment he appeared, Ishii brought his sword perpendicular to his chest, his blade lost its physical appearance. The blade broke apart, leaving an ethereal shape of the blade from the spiritual energy accumulated.

Mark showed no fear, no hesitation, as Ishii drove the sword into his chest. It wasn’t the first time they had undergone this ritual. The ”blade” sank deep, until only the hilt remained visible, then, in an instant, Mark’s aura erupted like a flood breaking through a dam.

The sheer pressure of it sent a wave of distraction through the battlefield, while its holy radiance struck fear into the undead. The weaker zombies faltered, their instincts screaming in terror at the presence of their natural enemy.

All of the accumulated stats Ishii had received were now directly transferred into Mark until the expiration of their time was extended.

Mark would have just a few seconds to be at his peak, and then a few minutes before all of the transferred states fully dissolved, but even a few seconds felt like enough.

Ishii understood that he was no longer useful in the fight, and now that he used the skill he would now have to use his reserved sword now that his original one was completely destroyed. His back up weapon was still useful, but the stat increase wasn’t even half as that as his original sword. It was for this reason that he would only use the ability when he was certain that he had no other alternatives.

The Kaiju was still momentarily stunned from Mark’s outburst, by the time it noticed Mark beside it, it was too slow to respond.

With a downward slash, Mark drove his sword with the intent to fell the creature with one slash. The Kaiju felt the danger of Mark’s sword that was emitting an aura that was already burning its scales even before it touched it.

Its arm instinctively went to block the attack, only for its agonized roar to drown out the surrounding conflicts.

_____________________

Meanwhile as Mark was inching his way through an overwhelming victory, Raven couldn’t say the same. The towering titan women were now down another fighter. The colossal Kaiju casually lifted the remains of one of them into its massive jaws. As she perished, her Amazon form deactivated, her body shrinking back to its original state.

Then, with a single bite, the Kaiju’s powerful teeth shattered every bone in her body.

It was now ready for another snack, but the moment it heard its brothers’ cry, and saw its armless stat, its aura completely changed. The veins glowing through its body illuminated even stronger than before, and so too did its brothers.