Becoming a Monster

Chapter 328: Chapter 328: A Seraph’s Cry

Outside, up in the air, the sky was quiet, save for the small sounds of something greedily gulping large amounts of liquids, and the occasional flap of powerful wings.

Meanwhile, in the mall, the space containing Noah’s and the Seraphim’s’ battle had become catastrophic. The area was no different than a war zone. The walls looked as if they were holding the rest of the structure by a thread.

The rest of the room was either cracked, scorched, or covered in a divine shine that gave off a deceptively warm, welcoming appearance. But those who knew what that energy signified would see that miraculous energy as a blissful hell.

And in the center of it all, Noah was still fighting the creature whose aura outshined everything else. He was losing ground, a large portion of the slime that encompassed his body was dissolved, bathed in flames by the Seraphim’s attacks.

His human flesh was beginning to show. The transformation he underwent earlier was beginning to recede. Noah didn’t think it was possible to be taken out of his merger. There was nothing within his system that suggested otherwise.

What he didn’t understand was that because the Seraphim’s divinity burned constantly at Noah’s soul, weakening it; it was injuring it to the point that even Noah’s soul was unable to hold the connection with himself and Ailetta.

But across from him, the Seraphim was no longer floating, patches of dark corrosions were formed in different areas of its body.

Its armor had begun to dim, its golden sheen of energy that bathed its form dulled. And yet, it readied its sword, composed, the attacks it exchanged with Noah seemed to have done little effect to impede its strength.

Noah thought about undoing the transformation himself. Not because he was giving up, but because he was willing to win at any cost, not just because he wanted to live, it was for his family’s survival.

He could feel it, the entity inside him was aware of his weakened soul. Noah knew without a doubt that the entity wouldn’t allow him to die, not like this. Within his soul realm, the entity was already encroaching on Noah’s soul again, ready to do whatever it had been planning all this time. This time, Noah didn’t believe the barrier surrounding him would be able to protect him if he were to sustain another attack to his soul.

Since there was a possibility of not being able to prevent the next attack, he at least wanted to unmerge from Ailetta, afraid what would happen to her if her soul was still completely fused to him when the entity made its move.

But he could feel Ailetta’s emotions and hear her thoughts the same way she could feel his. Even if he tried to forcibly remove her from his soul, he knew she would struggle against it.

And what about Arachne? That prideful spider would never run away if he were to release her. In fact, he could already foresee his little Queen taking the next blow in his stead.

Noah’s situation was tense, almost despairing. And yet he didn’t give into that despair, nor did his emotions become overwhelmed with the frustration of his weakness. He was fighting a being that was a legend, a being whose power he just couldn’t fathom. Even now, his Nexus eye was completely blinded by the Seraphim’s aura.

He couldn’t blame himself for his current weakness, for he was only weak when it came to the truly strong. What he could control was to not give up till the very end, and to make sure those who relied on him, and believed in him didn’t come to harm.

The Seraphim seemed to respond to his resolve. It raised the sword up high, its wings receding back, waiting to propel it forward to create a momentum that couldn’t be stopped.

Noah prepared himself, he just needed to survive the attack. As long as he did, he knew that the entity, for better or for worse, would take care of the rest.

Fenrir and Kratos couldn’t stand still; they couldn’t let Noah fight the creature on his own anymore. However, the environment bathed in the Seraphim’s aura was keeping them at bay. Fenrir attempted to brave through the field of divine energy, only for his entire body to become engulfed in flames.

The flames were something that not even Fenrir could resist, especially with his spirit being one of the weakest out of the group. His fur was quickly reduced to ashes, his exoskeleton melted under the flames’ effects, and his blood that was renowned for its regenerative properties were eviscerated, preventing him from healing the damage.

Kratos didn’t have the same faith in his toughness as Fenrir. Instead, he released a surge of energy towards the Seraphim. Energy created from his undead core, energy that was instantly met with resistance in the face of the Seraphim’s divine energy before the attack could even reach it, reducing the ball of energy to a failed attack.

The Seraphim didn’t react to their useless attempts to aid Noah.

Its wings were now fully expanded. For a heartbeat, time slowed, its attack seemed to move faster than light as it appeared directly in front of Noah.

In that brief instant, Noah decided to do something daring. He decided to fuse two of his traits together. Not because he believed the skills he would gain would give him the opportunity to win. But because in doing so, he would be able to gain another trait. His target would be the Seraphim itself.

He doubted what he was planning to do would work. The Seraphim’s body was made up of nothing he could physically consume if not accounting for its marbled armor, armor that despite his fierce attacks had yet to break apart.

That only left its holy energy, the same energy that burned at his soul. What would happen if he were to try to absorb those flames, that energy, into his body?

He didn’t know if his body could handle it. He didn’t know if his soul could handle it. But that was never the point. He had to do something.

He resisted his body moving against him as the traits took effect on his body. He could feel his limbs, his organs, his skin; Everything was changing within him. Yet, he continued, focused on blocking the sword without error.

The Seraphim’s sword was still bearing down, Noah’s body strongly reactive to the close proximity of the holy aura.

When the sword was midway in its attack, the Seraphim’s momentum suddenly stopped. Without giving Noah a chance to even register what was happening, a powerful screech entered his ears, deafening to the point that it immobilized him.

The Seraphim didn’t appear hurt; its sudden cry didn’t make sense. And after the release of its roar, its body suddenly sprung into the air without the use of its wings. Inside of him, the black abyss residing within its armor, faltered. It instantly spreaded to cover the entirety of its body, divine energy and all. And before anyone could still respond, its body, engulfed in its own sinful energy, vanished.

Silence followed.

Noah, still frozen mid-stance, stared at the space the Seraphim had occupied. The pressure was gone.

His head snapped around to his surroundings, eyes that were hidden inside his body appeared, helping him in his search. The field of divine energy was still there, the creatures born from that energy still alive. However, the Seraphim was nowhere to be found.

Without his doing, the remaining slime enveloping him fully receded. Soon after, a light surfaced around his body as both Arachne and Ailetta willfully released themselves to check on Noah.

Kratos and Fenrir, battered but alive, cautiously approached, still looking around them, unsure if the Seraphim was truly gone. Their steps were hesitant, each step they took brought on a sense of discomfort and slight pain as residual energy clung to the environment.

Noah, breathing heavily, not from exhaustion, but the continuation of the fusion of his traits, knelt with a hand to the ground, his eyes focused on the ceiling.

He didn’t think about it before, yet as he sensed the chaotic energy in the sky, feeling his warped connection to Eve in that same location, he began to piece together what happened.

”Eve killed her...” He muttered aloud with strained breaths, low enough to make it seem as if he was speaking to himself.

Ailetta understood that he was also letting them know not to worry. However, she couldn’t stop herself from worrying, recalling the scene of how Ava forcibly merged with Eve. That sense of intelligence behind those eyes that had played them for fools all this time.

”But what about Eve?” Ailetta asked, her voice trembling with worry, and a hint of anger. ”Noah, we were right to be cautious of Ava. I don’t understand why she decided to act now, but if she did, then...will she come back?” The apathetic slime looked worriedly towards the same direction as Noah.

Noah’s eyes only turned pensive, reflecting on everything he felt and to the factors leading up to Ava’s actions. His head turned in a certain direction, noting a silent Diablo merely standing within one place. His body released clouds of smoke as his mere presence was being cooked by the holy field and yet he remained rooted, looking in the same direction as them, waiting.

”She’ll come back.” He replied firmly, but deep down his opinion of Ava was similar to how he felt about the entity.