Becoming a Monster

Chapter 254: Chapter 254- Filling the Last Gene

With the aberration going through its transformation, Ailetta wasn’t far behind. Her other half now closely resembled the form she had taken when she first merged with the serpent’s core, but this time, her presence wasn’t nearly as strong due to the fact that she had separated her body into two, but she could still be considered stronger than her original form without the orb.

”Not yet.” Both Ailetta’s spoke in unison as their gaze connected. This was only the first step for what she was building up towards. If the power she inhabited from the cores was this strong, she fantasized about the results of what would happen if she were to merge two cores within herself.

The theory was plausible enough to allow her to do this without taking the precautionary steps of having to separate herself. Her actions weren’t without reason. Instead of suddenly imbalancing herself with two opposing energies, she theorized that as long as her two halves were able to acclimate themselves to the two opposing energies, when she merges her two halves back together, she would be able to fully harmonize both cores within her, without potentially harming her own core.

Her multiple eyes flickered with an eager excitement. If she could succeed, she would ascend to a level that has been her goal all along; to be able to properly fight by Noah’s side.

”Noah!”

”I know,” Noah quickly responded to Ailetta’s sudden calling. Slime tentacles quickly shot out in different directions. With Ailetta’s other half, Noah should have prepared an additional appendage, yet only three were still created, branching off towards the two Ailettas and Fenrir so he could reapply the buffs before they disappeared.

”What is it, Arachne?” Noah questioned, his eyes seriously analyzing her face. It wasn’t like her to walk away from a fight, even if she was at a disadvantage. As he observed her, her gaze wasn’t that of someone who felt helpless, but one that was resolved to accomplish something.

During the entire time of their discussion, Arachne was unable to interfere in Fenrir’s fight. The electrical static field the zombie amassed themselves in prevented her from getting too close. Because of this, she was quite perceptive when she noticed the act of Ailetta splitting herself and discussing with Noah.

Imagine the surprise after learning that the creature she was having such a hard time even getting close to was only going to get stronger, and out of all of Noah’s creatures, only Ailetta had a way of empowering herself even further to fight alongside him. Arachne doubted even someone as resilient as Fenrir would even stand a chance against the creature after its transformation. She hated being weak, but more than anything, she loathed the fact that Ailetta was constantly pulling further away from her.

Despite loathing the idea of Ailetta being better than her, she envied Ailetta’s strength, constantly telling herself that if she had Ailetta’s powers then she too could stand by Noah’s side as an equal.

This desire gave her the resolve to finally put the ability that Noah shared with her into action. She had Noah’s ’human?’ trait, along with the Queens genes, but when Noah had leveled up the skill, it also enabled her to incorporate one more trait into her genetics.

All this time she was indecisive on the genetics she should absorb. They came across a multitude of creatures she could’ve consumed, even the creature currently before them would be a worthwhile creature to consume. She already had the creature’s genetics still smeared on her hand, waiting to be assimilated.

And yet, she hesitated.

Deep down, she wanted something more. She wanted to be in sync with Noah, to mirror the genetics that he carried. But she could never bring herself to share the same genes as Fenrir. As fearsome as the beast was, she could already picture the smug, self-satisfied look he would wear if she did. She refused to give the wolf that satisfaction.

And then there was Ailetta. Arachne constantly felt inferior to her, wanting to prove she was better, that as long as she tried, eventually she could become stronger. This desire was constantly interfering with her decision. The threat of the zombie becoming stronger was the trigger for her to come to a decision. She couldn’t allow Ailetta to be the only one able to fight by Noah’s side, she wouldn’t allow it to happen. But she also couldn’t throw away a prideful nature to seek Ailetta for her genes, and that’s where Noah came in.

”I want...” Her eyes glowed with a fervor more intense and filled with much more obsession than Noah ever saw her show before.

”Your blood....I need to get stronger...like Ailetta....” The pauses in her request gave the impression that she was still hesitant in what she was asking, seemingly making it difficult for Noah to understand exactly what she wanted.

”It seems you finally made up your mind.” However, Noah wasn’t confused at all. Just like how Ailetta and Eve came up with the idea of creating a soul powerful enough to merge with Eve, Noah desired for Arachne to make the decision for her last gene for herself.

When all it should take was just a piece of his slime instead of his blood. Noah’s body instead took on a drastic change. From every pore of his skin, and every inch of his exoskeleton, slime poured out, turning into a substance that was almost no different than Ailetta’s own appearance.

Where he had skin, his body became the slime substance that harbored an even greater flowing intensity of violet gas within. And within the gaseous substance, specks of white that sparkled, resembling a vast galaxy of its own.

His exoskeleton retained its same structure, only being further strengthened as his slime solidified itself around it. While his face was no different than the rest of his skin. His nose had vanished, his bone structure erased, replaced by a seamless, fluid form. Only his eyes and mouth remained, suspended in the gelatinous substance as if floating in place.

Arachne stood frozen, her many eyes wide with shock and awe. This was beyond anything she had expected, beyond anything she had imagined. It was the first time she had ever witnessed Noah take on such a form.

___________

Boom!*

Even with the buffs, Fenrir’s 150% increase in strength was now depleted. The overwhelming pressure he once held against the zombie was rapidly fading. The two were locked in a brutal exchange, each throwing devastating blows.

Fenrir should have had the upper hand; despite the zombie’s superior attributes, he still had the advantage of four arms to attack with.

Yet, even with this advantage, now that the zombie fully regained its eyesight, it was reading and reacting to Fenrir’s every move. With four arms exchanging against two, Fenrir found himself on the receiving end of most of the exchanges. His powerful swings were constantly being interfered with by the zombie’s gravitational field, or faltering under the persistent paralysis of its ever going electricity. The two abilities working in tandem allowed the zombie to parry the most threatening attacks, while delivering powerful attacks of its own, interrupting Fenrir’s advance after causing him to stagger from the impactful blows.

The massive wolf was repeatedly absorbing blow for blow, its defenses proving to be even stronger than his raw strength. Over time, Fenrir’s defense was fully showcasing his most noteworthy trait. Fenrir’s ability to mitigate damage only increased as the damage done to him accumulated, and because of it, it made his gauntlet-like hands a menace to anyone that confronted him. Though many of his attacks were blocked or interrupted, just one successful strike triggered a powerful new layer of protection on his exoskeleton, one that nearly nullified the next attack entirely.

Subconsciously, Fenrir must’ve been aware of its own shortcomings even in the mindless state he was in. No matter, given the opportunity did he attempt to spew his flames. Every ounce of his drive was centered towards trading blow for blow.

Again, the zombie used its ability to repulse Fenrir away, but this time the wolf was prepared. A long deep trench was created as Fenrir’s claws dug deep into the ground, his gauntlet hands digging even deeper.

But even as the zombie pushed him away, it suddenly moved forward in an all out sprint. Its electricity no longer enveloped his entire body, but now only focuses on its hands.

Sparks of static continued to spark across Fenrir’s body, preventing the beast from reacting fast enough.

When it seemed the zombie was going to capitalize on Fenrir’s inability to act, a wave of attacks pelted its entire body.

A series of spider legs quickly descended, attacking any area that it could. Surprisingly, none of the attacks aimed for the zombie’s face. The zombie, despite its small hint of sentience never once questioned the intent of the strikes as it braced itself for the sudden assault.

But then it happened, an attack that was even faster than any of the series of spider legs before it. A shadow that was large enough to engulf its entire face, forcing the zombie to stop in its tracks. That shadow was in the shape of a massive serpent that sunk its fangs and cannibalistic teeth into the zombies flesh. The recurring thud sounded, once again signifying the failure of breaching its skeleton. But when the serpent retreated, the damage done was appalling to see.