Becoming a Monster

Chapter 712: Chapter 711: A Warning From an Old Friend

For a moment, the others could do little more than stare.

The sight of Malachi’s new appearance was already enough to make several of them instinctively recoil, but it was the suffocating pressure emanating from his body that truly frightened them.

It was almost as though the very air surrounding him had become heavier, making it increasingly difficult for those nearby to breathe.

And considering how much stronger that pressure had become, none of them wanted to imagine what would happen if they were forced to confront him directly.

Unfortunately, that was precisely what Ishii was about to experience.

As they watched the monster turn his attention toward their exhausted companion, the fear they felt for their own lives was quickly overshadowed by their concern for his.

How was he supposed to defend himself in his current condition?

Even if they rushed to his assistance, would they actually be able to accomplish anything?

The questions were enough to make several of them hesitate.

They wanted to help him. Of course they did.

But wanting to do something and having the strength to accomplish it were two entirely different matters.

And against a creature like the one standing before them, that distinction had never been more apparent.

Despair was beginning to take hold.

For some, it already had.

“ROOOAAAR!”

A thunderous roar suddenly erupted from Paul’s throat, drawing the attention of those standing nearby.

There was something almost taunting about the sound, and that was precisely what Paul intended.

He was desperately trying to draw Malachi’s attention away from Ishii, even if doing so meant becoming the target of the monster’s murderous rage.

He couldn’t allow anyone else to die.

Not if there was still something he could do to prevent it.

And fortunately, he wasn’t the only one who had begun to act.

The others were gradually recovering from their stupor, forcing themselves to move despite the fear that continued to grip them.

They couldn’t afford to leave Ishii to face the monster alone.

Raven was among the first to prepare herself.

Her body began to glow as she activated her transformation, rapidly increasing in size until she towered over those standing nearby.

Her fellow Amazons, however, remained in their current forms.

There was little benefit to having all of them transform when they were facing an opponent whose movements were already difficult enough to follow.

If anything, crowding the battlefield with their enormous bodies would only make it more difficult for them to maneuver, especially with the danger presented by Malachi’s shadow.

For now, it was better to allow their strongest fighters enough room to make full use of their abilities.

And if they could coordinate their attacks properly, perhaps there was still a chance of overcoming him.

Riley was already preparing to contribute in her own way.

Reaching into her quiver, she carefully retrieved two arrows that she rarely had occasion to use.

Unlike her ordinary ammunition, these arrows had been created using one of the more unusual applications of her transmutation ability.

She’d made them from holy water.

They were specialized weapons she’d prepared for the possibility of encountering particularly powerful undead or demonic creatures, enemies against whom her conventional arrows might prove ineffective.

Of course, whether they would actually work against Malachi was something she couldn’t say for certain.

He wasn’t exactly an undead creature, nor did she know whether his transformation had made him similar enough to a demon for the holy water to have its intended effect.

Nevertheless, considering the nature of the power responsible for his transformation, she couldn’t dismiss the possibility.

And with their situation growing increasingly dire, Riley had no intention of letting such an opportunity go to waste.

The others were making preparations of their own.

Those still capable of fighting readied their weapons and abilities, preparing to support Ishii however they could.

None of them knew whether their combined efforts would be enough.

But at the very least, they weren’t going to stand around and wait for Malachi to kill another one of their companions.

There was, however, one person who seemed to be struggling with something entirely different.

Amara.

While the others were preparing themselves for what appeared to be an increasingly hopeless confrontation, she continued looking between them with an expression of growing confusion.

Something wasn’t right.

And strangely enough, it had nothing to do with Malachi.

Rather, it was the threads connected to the lives of everyone surrounding her.

Despite everything that had happened, she couldn’t see any indication that one of them was about to die.

But how was that possible?

Amara had witnessed the same battle as everyone else.

She understood how overwhelming the difference in strength had become, and she had no reason to believe that the monster standing before them would suddenly decide to spare their lives.

Yet what she was seeing suggested something entirely different.

Nothing like this had ever happened before, and Amara couldn’t help wondering whether something was wrong with her ability.

Had she reached a situation where she could no longer rely upon what it showed her?

Or was there something about their current circumstances that she wasn’t capable of understanding?

Unable to reach a conclusion, she decided to turn toward the one individual she believed could provide some reassurance.

Anubis.

If she allowed him to take control, surely he would be capable of doing something to help the others.

And even if he couldn’t defeat Malachi, his presence alone would give her considerably more confidence in their ability to survive.

Unfortunately, Anubis had no intention of cooperating.

He rejected her request almost immediately.

As far as he was concerned, Amara’s life wasn’t in danger, and he saw little reason to involve himself in a confrontation that didn’t threaten her existence.

Unlike the transformations available to some of her companions, Anubis wasn’t another ability that Amara could activate whenever she pleased.

He possessed a will of his own.

Unless he considered the circumstances worthy of his intervention, she had no way to force him to take control.

His refusal only made the situation more difficult for her to understand.

After all, Anubis had never given her a reason to believe that he would willingly allow her to die.

If he saw no need to intervene, and her own ability wasn’t warning her of anyone’s impending death, then perhaps the situation wasn’t quite as hopeless as it appeared.

But that raised an even more confusing question.

How?

Amara looked toward Malachi once more, unable to reconcile the overwhelming power she was witnessing with what her ability continued to show her.

Was there really a way for them to survive this?

Or did it mean something even more extraordinary?

Could they actually win?

—

Malachi didn’t care about their struggles or their power of friendship. He ignored them all, almost disappearing towards Ishii once more.

Ishii could barely stand, let alone move away. It felt like everything was going to end here. But… he didn’t want to die. Not just because he wanted to live, but because after he died, the others wouldn’t be too far behind.

His desperate desire to protect the others began drawing Noah’s aura toward him, much like what had happened to Malachi. As the dark energy entered his body, his hair began rising into the air, while strange markings resembling cursed tattoos gradually spread across his face.

Had his transformation been allowed to continue, the creature Ishii would’ve become would have been vastly different from Malachi.

After all, while Malachi had sought power for his own ambitions, Ishii’s desire for strength came from his determination to protect the people around him.

But sadly, Ishii would never be able to complete the transformation in time.

Paul’s attempts to draw Malachi’s attention were proving useless, especially now that his latest transformation had eliminated the weakness Isshi had previously exploited.

And with Jasmine unable to abandon Alicia’s treatment, there was no one else capable of intercepting Malachi before he reached Ishii.

Even with the threat of death, Ishii still tried to move to deliver one last blow of his own. If he went out, then it would be with him never giving up.

Unfortunately, Ishii had barely managed to raise his arm when Malachi was already upon him.

One of his enormous hands reached toward the young samurai, while the monstrous jaws that had replaced his head opened wide enough to swallow him whole.

And just as those claws were about to close around him, something unexpected happened.

A thick tentacle suddenly wrapped around Ishii’s waist, pulling him away from the approaching monster.

Almost simultaneously, five more shot toward Malachi, four wrapping themselves around his limbs while the last coiled around his waist.

The sudden restraint brought his advance to an abrupt halt.

And considering how close he’d been to reaching Ishii, the intervention couldn’t have come at a better time.

Naturally, Malachi wasn’t pleased.

An enraged roar erupted from his enormous maw as he struggled against the appendages holding him, attempting to force his way toward the samurai who was being pulled farther out of reach.

Yet no matter how much strength he exerted, the tentacles refused to give way.

It was only after realizing that he couldn’t overpower them that Malachi began doing something else.

The flesh under each of the restraints suddenly split apart, revealing several mouths lined with rows of sharp teeth.

And without the slightest hesitation, they began biting into the strange substance holding him.

Rather than attempting to tear through it, the mouths were actually devouring the material, swallowing entire portions of the tentacles as they struggled to maintain their grip.

With each passing moment, more of the slime disappeared into Malachi’s body.

But by then, Ishii had already been pulled a considerable distance away.

Unfortunately, escaping Malachi’s physical reach didn’t mean he was safe.

The shadow beneath the monster’s feet had begun stretching across the ground, following Ishii as he was carried away.

And unlike the tentacles holding Malachi, there was nothing preventing the darkness from pursuing him.

Paul and the others watched with growing concern.

They’d initially been stunned when the mysterious appendages appeared, especially after witnessing how easily they’d managed to restrain Malachi.

But as their eyes followed Ishii’s retreating figure, they began to realize that the tentacle wasn’t simply pulling him away from danger.

It was bringing him toward someone.

Someone who, to their astonishment, wasn’t very far from where they were standing.

And when they finally recognized the figure responsible, several of them could hardly believe what they were seeing.

Ailetta.

Of all the individuals they could’ve imagined intervening to save Ishii, none of them had expected it to be her.

And for a moment, they didn’t know whether they should be relieved or even more concerned.

But those conflicting emotions only intensified when something began happening to the side of Ailetta’s face.

Her skin suddenly bulged outward, stretching unnaturally as another face began pushing its way through.

It was a grotesque sight, but for those who recognized the features gradually taking shape, the horror of what they were witnessing was quickly overshadowed by something else entirely.

After all, how could they possibly forget that face?

It had been so long since they’d last seen it, and although the glasses were missing, the resemblance was unmistakable.

It was Ailetta.

The human Ailetta.

The same person they’d once considered a close friend.

Even Alicia, who had been suffering through unimaginable pain, found herself momentarily numb to her injuries as she stared at the familiar face.

But how was this possible?

They’d believed that the monster had devoured her, leaving nothing of the person they’d once known.

Yet here she was.

Had she somehow survived all this time, trapped within the very creature they believed had killed her?

Unfortunately, none of them had the opportunity to consider what that might mean.

Before anyone could utter a word, the face suddenly twisted in panic, its mouth opening as a familiar voice screamed in their direction.

It was the same voice they remembered from back then.

But the terror accompanying it was something they’d never heard before.

“RUN! YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE SHE KILLS YOU!”