Becoming a Monster

Chapter 307: Chapter 307: Their Last Chance

With the reinforced doors slammed shut behind the retreating guards, Mark’s body stiffened, quickly he turned to Noah to affirm that he wouldn’t do anything drastic.

Jasmine looked towards the door in worry, her mind already speculating what was going to happen next.

”They won’t listen to us,” she murmured. When she looked back, she didn’t look to Mark, nor to Noah, instead, she sneaked a peak towards Ailetta who was quietly observing everyone as if nothing truly bothered her and she was merely watching a show.

Ailetta caught Jasmine’s glance, and smiled, not cruelly, not warmly, but it was a smile that made Jasmine anxious.

”Seems like this was just a waste of time then,” she said with a sing-song appeal. She felt unfulfilled; she hadn’t killed enough people to satiate her earlier rage. And this time, she was curious, curious to know what would happen if she created an aberration entirely made of humans. How would that turn out? How strong would it become? And what would happen if Noah used the finalized version of the core to merge with one of them?

Her words weren’t meant to put Jasmine down, but she hoped to spur Noah to let her do as she pleased. From the glint in Noah’s eyes, she assumed that he was running out of patience. She smiled ever so widely to his current expression, she just might get what she wanted.

Noah glanced towards Ailetta but didn’t say anything. His mind was focused on something else. She understood that he must be using the shared vision with his golems. But this time she noticed that Noah wasn’t as hurried as before. In fact, he seemed to be smiling to himself.

The smile was so subtle that one wouldn’t notice, but Ailetta picked up everything when it came to the person she was obsessed over.

Mark didn’t notice this, he only believed that Noah’s silence was a sign that something bad was going to happen. And most importantly, he noticed how Ailetta was trying to add fuel to the fire.

The worst part about it was that she was right. There was nothing that he could do now to persuade the others to allow Noah to use the shop. Maybe if they prevented everyone from fleeing then they may have had a chance.

Now that Noah had killed people, and the others were aware of it, discussions were no longer on the table.

Mark clenched his fist, holding himself back from glaring at Ailetta. He stepped forward towards the door, stopping just inches away from it. He didn’t like it; the other side was too quiet to his liking. He could tell that they would have to fight, there was no avoiding it.

But he wanted to make sure that it was he that was doing the fighting. If he could overpower the others without killing them, then maybe that would open up the possibility for communication. The question was, how strong was he truly when compared to those people.

He of all people understood the shop’s allure. But was that enough to make a difference? were they strong enough to fight against him who gained his power through hardship? Who was able to expand his powers through the use of the chests?

Realistically, the answer should be simple. He, just like the rest of his friends, should be the strongest out of everyone here. He had met the so-called elites on the other side of the door. The elites under Burke were probably individually as strong as Bailey. A comparison that didn’t make Mark wary of them at all. Bailey wasn’t really a fighter, not anymore.

And Burke’s Elites? They were even less of a factor. The only advantageous Burkes soldiers had over Vincents were that Burkes Elites were true combatants. People who were true trained fighters to kill.

But out of them all, Mark was only truly cautious of two people. Vicent’s right hand man, Malcolm, and then, surprisingly it was Burke himself.

Mark always felt that something wasn’t right with the commander. Mark had never seen the man fight since he’s been here. And not once has he heard anyone speak of the man displaying a hint of his abilities. This wouldn’t be enough to warrant suspicion on its own. Oftentimes a leader is someone who knows how to delegate his responsibilities.

But what made Mark suspicious of Burke was the feeling that Burke was dangerous. It wasn’t something as bloodlust spewing from the man, or overpowering pressure emitting from his aura. It was purely instinct that led Mark to believe the man was dangerous, far more than he let on. And since Mark’s awakening, the trust he had with his instincts grew. His instincts grew into what he believed to be a sixth sense.

His instincts even now screamed that on the other end of that door that there was a danger that was on the same level as Kratos before Noah tamed it. Yet, his body didn’t hesitate any longer. His sword was already hacking towards the door. What was on the other side of the door meant nothing compared to the constant warning sirens behind him.

The sword cleanly cut through the metal barricade, including the makeshift steel door. The moment his blade struck, that was when the silence on the other side ended. Orders were already being barked, the air was being stirred from the numerous people stirring their mana.

”Jasmine, Bailey,” Mark spoke to the two who still stood behind him unmoving.

”This is our last chance. We need to make everyone listen to us. If we fail here....then we have no right to continue to stand in Noah’s way...Will you fight with me?”

Mark stood alone in front of the doors, his mind made up. He would move forward, with or without them, if it meant saving even one more life.

Bailey looked towards Jasmine to exchange glances. But when she looked over, she saw Jasmine turn around to look at Ailetta once more. Jasmine wanted to avoid Ailetta killing others at all costs. That alone stirred her to move to her brother’s side.

Bailey hesitated, watching as Jasmine built up the courage to face off against their own kind. She felt conflicted, she didn’t have the strength, the confidence, or the conviction to proceed. What can she even accomplish if she were to go with them?

Thinking of Jasmine, Bailey glanced back at the one who had given her that resolve.

Bailey’s heart pounded as she met Ailetta’s gaze. Her many eyes narrowed in scrutiny, not because it was Bailey, but because she couldn’t understand why they kept staring at her.

The action of Ailetta’s gaze narrowing nearly frightened Bailey, causing her to move near the others subconsciously. She felt....uncomfortable. For the first time she finally understood what Jasmine felt. Those eyes, they looked at her as if she was a complete stranger. As if she meant nothing to her, as if the times she nearly sacrificed herself to protect Ailetta back when she was...human, didn’t happen at all.

It made her realize that her earlier beliefs were wrong all along. She truly had lost another friend. The Ailetta that was her good friend was dead. Tears welled up in her eyes, her arm forcibly dragged across her face, trying to hide the trembling in her fingers, trying to hide her weakness to the others.

When she wiped away her tears, what was left was a changed person. Bailey was never the same when Blake died, it grew even worse when she nearly lost her life. Now she feared losing Paul whenever there was an enemy.

She didn’t want to be this version of her anymore. But she didn’t believe she had the strength to go back to who she used to be either.

’I can’t bring them back, and I can’t gain back who I once was. But I can fight for what I still have left.’

Mark, feeling the two at his side, didn’t say anything, his sharp eyes were only grateful that he wasn’t alone.

”Jas, this moment will all depend on you. Me and Bailey will protect you. To avoid killing anyone we will rely on you to trap them.”

”Hm! I got it.” Jasmine gripped a staff in her hand. A staff that was clearly made from a special tree, a weapon that she didn’t have before during the zombie raid.

Instead of slashing the door again, Mark’s body released his heroic glow that enveloped the three of them before he promptly kicked down the door.

The door flung out, crashing against the floor.

The moment the room was revealed, a sharp whistle entered their ears before they could make an appropriate judgment, a flurry of wind created blades of air that came hurtling towards them. Each cut that touched the ground had dug nearly a foot through the tile floor. One could only imagine what would happen if those blades were to touch them.

Mark’s expression was serious more than ever before. The attack was aiming right for them, and they had little room to maneuver. And yet he didn’t show an ounce of fear. Before the attack reached them, the vines that aligned themselves along the walls and floors suddenly came to life.

And this time, the dryad that was usually hovering around Jasmine’s head was now merging itself into her.