Becoming a Monster

Chapter 679: Chapter 678: A Divine Rematch

The battlefield had changed once again.

The two fields were now fighting for control of the space between them, with the Holy Field growing brighter wherever Noah’s power pressed against its borders. For several moments, neither appeared capable of advancing into the other as holy energy and Noah’s mana continuously tore against one another, but the balance between them gradually began to shift.

The change happened slowly enough that some of the humans didn’t notice at first. Noah’s field pushed against the holy light a little at a time, forcing its boundary backward before the Holy Field surged forward to reclaim some of what it lost.

Yet each time it did, Noah’s power pushed it even farther back, steadily closing the distance between the humans and the edge of their protection.

By the time more of them began noticing what was happening, there was no mistaking which field was winning. The Holy Field was supposed to weaken beings like Noah while protecting those who stood within it, but his own power was forcing it farther and farther toward them, threatening to eventually envelop the entire area they were standing in.

Malachi watched the boundary continue drawing closer before turning toward the old man who had remained at his side. Cardinal Severin had accompanied him, knowing there was a chance his role in this battle would eventually demand more than prayer or guidance, and with Noah’s field continuing to overpower their own, the time had finally come for him to fulfill that purpose.

“Cardinal Severin.”

The old man turned toward him, and whatever he saw in Malachi’s expression seemed to tell him what was coming before another word was spoken. Rather than showing fear, Severin slowly straightened as Malachi told him it was finally time to play his part.

A fervent light entered the Cardinal’s eyes. His gaze briefly lifted toward the sky before returning to Malachi, and the smile that formed on his face held none of the reluctance Malachi had shown when his own sacrifice was demanded.

“Then the Heavenly Father has finally chosen the moment He wishes to receive me.”

“Your sacrifice will be remembered,” Malachi assured him. “Everyone who survives this battle will know what you gave so they could return home, and the Church will make certain your name isn’t forgotten.”

Severin shook his head before Malachi could say anything more.

“Let them remember God instead. If my life can serve Him one final time, then I’ve already been given more than I deserve.” His smile widened as his attention returned to the retreating Holy Field. “I have spent my life waiting for the day I would stand before the Father. There is nothing for me to mourn now that He’s finally calling me home.”

Malachi gave the Cardinal a moment before looking toward Bailey. He had already decided what needed to be done with Severin, but the girl presented a different problem.

Unlike the Cardinal, or almost any member of their faith, for that matter, Bailey didn’t have the mindset of someone willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good.

They could still kill her and use her death to bring forth the Seraphim, allowing the suffering of her soul and its desperate attempt to cling to the world as it left her body to form a connection between this world and Heaven.

But forcing that connection came at a cost. An unwilling sacrifice could never bring forth as much of a Seraphim’s power as someone who willingly offered their life to the Heavenly Father, which meant killing Bailey themselves would only weaken the very being they were depending on.

Despite that, Malachi didn’t believe convincing Bailey would be difficult. The girl was already close to falling apart, and fear seemed to be the only thing keeping her moving forward. He only needed to push that fear even further.

What concerned him was what would come after she agreed. The voice’s insistence on bringing forth the Seraphim made Malachi suspect it had found another way to descend, and if that happened, he could no longer be certain where it would leave him.

He had already denied the voice the sacrifice it wanted from him, yet for now, Malachi still served a purpose as its potential vessel. And at the same time, he was still needed to convince Bailey to perform the sacrilegious summoning. As long as the angel didn’t come, his existence was irreplaceable.

The same might not be true once the angel had a body of its own in this world. If he was no longer necessary, what would stop it from taking back the strength it had given him? What would happen to the sight that had allowed a blind man to see again, or everything he had built for himself because of the power it granted him?

And losing those gifts wasn’t the only possibility that troubled him. Malachi had no idea what the angel might expect from him once it descended. If it demanded his life again, or asked something else he couldn’t bring himself to accept, would he still be capable of refusing when the voice no longer depended on him?

For all the years Malachi had followed its guidance without question, he had never considered what would happen if the day came when what the angel wanted and what he was willing to give were no longer the same. Now that carrying out its order could bring that day closer, he couldn’t stop himself from wondering whether he should go through with it.

The voice gave him little time to entertain the thought.

“Don’t hesitate again. If you cannot give me what I need, then I’d rather take back what I’ve bestowed upon you now than risk allowing any of it to strengthen the Anathema.”

The threat answered one of the questions Malachi had been afraid to ask. Apparently, the voice had no intention of letting him keep what he’d been given just because he had served faithfully until now.

—

Malachi gritted his teeth hard enough that the taste of blood soon filled his mouth. He couldn’t remember ever being this angry, but no matter how much he hated the threat, he couldn’t deny the truth behind it. If he continued doing nothing, there would eventually be no one left for any of this to matter.

Before he could turn that frustration toward Bailey, a new presence finally entered the battlefield. The Seraphim they had been waiting for had arrived, and the effect of its appearance was immediate.

Six enormous white-feathered wings unfurled behind a humanoid figure covered from head to toe in white and gold armor. A crown of interlocking golden rings framed its helmet while it held a long, ornate spear at its side, but Malachi barely had time to take in its appearance before the holy energy radiating from it spread across the battlefield.

The Holy Field responded immediately. Its retreat slowed as the Seraphim’s aura poured into the light, strengthening what had been steadily losing ground against Noah’s power until the boundary finally stopped moving. The Seraphim hadn’t raised its weapon or used an ability. Its presence alone had been enough to stabilize the field.

Its energy strengthened the holy field, affecting everyone within. Yet Noah couldn’t help noticing what wasn’t happening.

The last time he witnessed a Seraphim descend, its heavenly energy had seeped into the humans around it, stripping away their vanity and sins before gradually eroding everything connected to those impurities. Barely enough of the original people remained by the time they became Hollowed Seraphs.

None of the humans before him showed those signs. Noah initially suspected the Seraphim itself was responsible. It was clearly stronger than the one he remembered, yet far less of its heavenly energy escaped without purpose, suggesting it possessed much greater control over its presence.

There was another possibility. The people transformed back then had come directly from Earth, a mortal world untouched by the kind of power that existed here. These humans had spent their lives surrounded by God’s influence, some becoming capable of wielding holy energy or even communicating with angels. Their bodies and souls might simply be better suited to endure it.

Bailey complicated that assumption. She had come from Earth as well, but seeing her unaffected reminded Noah of something Amara told him long ago.

The others had supposedly lost their Systems after arriving in this world, though Noah had never believed that meant everything the System did to them simply disappeared. They could still use the powers it gave them, just as Noah retained abilities he originally gained through his own.

Perhaps the System had changed them permanently enough that they could no longer truly be considered mortals. Noah didn’t have time to consider what that meant when the Seraphim itself demanded far more of his attention. Whatever the reason these humans could withstand its presence, there was no question that this one was the real deal.

Before consuming the Potentate’s soul, Noah would’ve placed its strength above his own. The changes that followed had nearly closed that gap, leaving the Seraphim close enough to his current strength that neither clearly surpassed the other.

For now.