Becoming a Monster

Chapter 316: Chapter 316: “We burn in His name; we rise in His light.”

Burke couldn’t think clearly, there was too much stimulating his heart. However, the moment he saw Vincint’s pupils shrink, swallowed whole by a growing radiance, silence seemed to envelope him. Not even the howling sensation from Noah’s attack could reach him.

The panic that twisted Burke’s face was erased by something calm. Unnaturally calm.

His entire body took on a glowing golden hue, enveloping him entirely to the point that not an inch of his attire or facial features could be made out.

Then came the voice. Soft, feminine, almost melodic, but it came from where Burke stood.

”I have not gone against our agreement. Your life was forfeit the moment you engaged a devil...hiding in human skin. You have done a great service to our beloved father, and to honor your great deed, I will make sure your soul will ascend to His embrace. We burn in His name; we rise in His light.”

Still, Vincent couldn’t tell what was going on, and his body was slowly moving away from the figure. Unsure of its intentions or if Burke was still alive.

The figure seemed to sense his fear. With the light shadowing her features, the motion of her head wasn’t noticed. But then Vincent saw something expand from her sides, and a golden ring forming over her head.

He was no longer paying attention to the beings’ actions. He was too amazed by what those certain features symbolized the creature of being.

An Angel.

If this world became hell on earth, with humanity on the brink of extinction. It would be rare for those who held religious beliefs to not believe that their god had forsaken them. And even those who didn’t believe silently prayed for the being that granted them their powers for salvation, in hopes...and fear, that the being was the god that all worshipers spoke of.

And now, for the first time, they witnessed a heaven’s envoy face to face.

The light died down at the spread of the angel’s wings, but when they did, the awe turned to doubt.

The ”angel” in question wasn’t the serene beauty they pictured her to be. In fact, the angel bore no beauty at all. The ”woman” was faceless, no different than a mannequin.

Where the eyes and mouth should have been, there was only a smooth surface. Not only was she devoid of any facial features, but her head was completely bare.

The attire Burke wore was magically replaced by a pristine white robe, with almost nothing to glorify it besides the cross that was magically fitted into the center of her chest. The wings, and the halo were the main traits that truly remained symbolic to the angels that people were used to.

Despite her unique differences, people still fell to their knees. Some in worship, others confusion, and then there were those who dreaded her appearance. And then there were those like Vincent who could only stare; scrutinizing whether the angel was an actual messenger of God or merely another monster.

The angel turned slightly, as if searching for something, or perhaps acknowledging the shift in the atmosphere. Then came her voice once more, not spoken through a mouth she didn’t have, but directly into their minds.

”Lost souls, you wonder why do I look this way? It is because I am merely a messenger of the heavenly father. Before I- before anyone can truly become a vassal that has the right to bear the almighties presence, one must go through the trials of purifying themselves of all their sins.”

”We do not have necessities that can corrupt our souls. A face that can bring jealousy, envy, greed...Hair that can inspire vanity. We have shed them all, so we can cleanse our souls to acquire them when we have proven our worth.”

”This form is not for your comfort, nor your belief. It is for His will alone. I am what remains when the self has been burned away... when there is nothing left but duty.”

”And you,” she finally turned towards the heavy pressure that was no longer able to be ignored. The attack Noah was about to unleash was even a threat to a being such as herself since she was using a weak vassal to bring out her true form.

”Devil born of mortal womb...”

The air warped, the fear and dread being casted onto those of weak will were being wrapped in a warmth they couldn’t explain.

”You stand as proof of the corruption in man’s blood. Of why we must cleanse the world.”

She raised her arms. Not just her, but the three zombies that were in turn, tied to her through Burke’s contract had all become enveloped within a holy radiance.

”And why mercy can no longer be granted.”

The moment she finished, Noah’s catastrophic attack was released. The sphere that was formed wasn’t released, but it was used to send out a beam that was far too vast to even think about being blocked. Matter, air, and even sound disintegrated under its weight.

Seeing the attack that could wipe out the entire floor, Vincent realized that his assumption that he had a way out was pure folly. For the first time in his life, he prayed. He prayed to God in his heart, and he prayed to the messenger to save them.

The angel didn’t seem to feel fear from the attack at all. She held a grace as if everything was already preordained.

Her ”gaze” focused on the skeleton that was raised to the occasion to confront the attack. Her holy energy created a halo that temporarily formed over their heads. It wasn’t that she was granting them powers of an angel, but what she did was something far more terrifying.

She baptized them.

The halo was not a gift, but a brand. A mark of divine conscription. It bound the undeads’ soul to burn, and to be spent in the name of His judgment.

Using the zombie’s soul as a medium, not only their lifeforce, but their spiritual force was used to enhance their prowess to unbelievable heights. And when their use is over, not only will their bodies perish, but also their soul, never to be reincarnated again. Because to her, an undeads’ soul would only give birth to demons...and devils. She was doing them a justice to eviscerate them from existence completely.

The halo pulsed once, twice, then seared into the bone, causing the red gems in their eyes to shift to the same golden hues as her own, but they didn’t fully convert like her eyes have done.

They now moved and behaved like a hive mind, a mind linked and controlled by her will.

The zombie sent out to intercept the attack was much larger than the other two. Its traits were more of a skeletal warrior than a zombie, but an undead, nonetheless. In both its hands was a massive shield that required both hands to wield, a shield created from bone that was far denser than any man-made metal.

That same shield had 3d engravings of arms stretching and interlocking from both sides, symbolizing the remains of those who died clutching one another in desperation to live. The more lives the shield bearer witness, the more arms are etched into the marrow, and the stronger the shield becomes.

The zombie slammed the shield into the ground, and in the next moment, it shifted.

The shield suddenly manifested a shield that was identical to itself, a shield that almost blocked out the entire other side of the room. And the hands that were once reaching for each other were now extending outwards in the attempt to ward off any attack that came near.

The moment the beam met the loom wall, the entire room dimmed, not from the lack of light, but from the sheer suffocating pressure collecting from the collision. There was no explosion, no resounding clash, just the distorted sounds of hundreds of souls screaming.

Cracks grew across the shield, threatening to shatter. But instead of shattering, more arms etched themselves into place, filling the gaps as though each fracture was being mended with the life of the fallen.

During this time, the angel didn’t move. She didn’t feel that she needed to. Her faith in her creator assured her that the defense would hold.

However, as fanatical as she was, there was a sense of dissection in her posture. This wasn’t her true strength. Her connection to the Father felt...distant.

She didn’t think much of it besides the fact that she wasn’t offered enough souls. If anyone were to realize the reason why Burke would always have his injured men taken to him in their last dying breaths, the revelation would crush any support he had built.

Left with the residual power of the few hundred souls imparted to her, the angel forced herself to believe that this was her fathers will, and that this test was to prove herself to him.

The beam continued to grind against the shield. The shield was beginning to show visible breakage. It didn’t seem to be able to hold much longer. But then the last zombie made its move. It spread its arms, behaving as a devout follower as it looked onto the materialized shield.

Its body glowed with the same holy aura given to it, and that same glow soon covered the entire shield. The hands grew longer, the cracks mended themselves in real time.

Noah’s strongest attack was stopped.