Becoming a Monster

Chapter 490: Chapter 489: A Soul in Exchange

"Eve, we need to get that out of you now, and then we will—"

The worry in his tone conflicted greatly with his image. If the archon could feel, it would’ve surely been surprised by the change.

Its hands just remained at its sides, observing everything for its chance to escape. The pain it was under was nothing compared to not living up to its purpose.

It could only watch the transaction between the two blasphemous creatures. It watched as Noah worried for Eve whilst its blade was still pierced through her core.

The archon felt that the time was coming. Soon, Eve would perish, and during that time, Noah would rush to prevent her from dying. That would be its chance to escape.

That moment was just a breath away.

But the following scene had it as confused as Noah.

"It’s ok... I’m ok." Eve’s voice was calm despite her situation. Her expression showed much more maturity than that of the Eve Noah had watched grow. It was clear to Noah that Eve’s personality was not just hers alone.

After speaking, Eve pulled the sword from her chest without a shred of worry. Her face grew paler, and the blood that spurted out of her made the reality clear that she was badly damaged.

Noah dazedly observed the sword in scrutiny, up until the time it began to dissolve the moment she let go of it.

In his scrutiny, he also noticed Diablo suddenly disappearing, while Ava still remained. The moment of his disappearance led to a drastic change in Eve’s aura, as it drastically lowered.

The reaction nearly scared Noah to bits as his tendrils emerged from his body, ready to hold her steady the moment she lost her footing.

When they locked onto her figure, green energy enveloped her to heal what he could, but even Noah knew that action was useless. A destroyed core couldn’t be healed, at least not in ordinary ways.

He didn’t even question the fact that Eve was still standing perfectly on her own, even after all that had just happened.

Not until a few seconds later, after making sure there were no other injuries that would bring her suffering.

_____

"Eve?" The word came out slower than intended, because the question behind it was one he refused to form, as he could not bring himself to acknowledge the possibility of her death.

"See? I’m ok." Eve offered a small smile. But almost soon after, her expression gave out. A quiet sadness replaced it almost immediately.

"It’s just that... Father was forced to rest for a while..."

Noah’s body froze. Knowing that she would live had settled a burden that would’ve forever haunted him. But he couldn’t pass up what she had said.

Although her way of addressing Diablo has changed, he knew that the "father" she spoke of could only be him.

That’s when he thought back to the moment he vanished. If his sudden disappearance simply meant he sacrificed himself to save her, then it wouldn’t make sense for her to be depressed. She could simply "create" him again as long as she had his core.

"Did he sacrifice his soul to save you?" Noah could only think of the worst alternative. If that was the case, could the Diablo she summoned again still be considered her father?

Eve nodded, and the simplicity of the answer made it heavier rather than easier to accept.

"I can wake him up again. I just need a so-" She stopped in the middle of her explanation, sending Noah’s heart into another set of panic.

Her voice stopped abruptly, and the interruption caused Noah’s tension to rise again, because the stability he had just begun to accept broke apart just as quickly.

Her form flickered, and the presence that had been holding her together weakened as the fusion of three souls reached its limit, especially after Diablo’s disappearance.

The change did not take long to complete because the merged state unraveled, leaving Eve separated from Ava as her body returned to its smaller, more familiar form.

In her hands, she held a core, and the moment Noah saw it, his attention locked onto it completely.

The core was grey and lifeless, lacking the presence it once carried, and it resembled nothing more than a fossilized stone.

The way she held it made the answer clear before he spoke.

"Is that Diablo?"

Eve nodded, and when she spoke again, the maturity that had once been present in her voice was gone, replaced by the familiar tone he knew.

"Papa... I can wake him up again. I just need a soul."

Noah’s gaze shifted to the archon’s spirit still held within his grasp, and the thought came to him immediately, because he had already considered using it before when he believed Eve would die.

He understood the risk behind forcing two opposing souls together.

He knew that the result could lead to both being destroyed, yet he also knew that his Nexus Eye had never followed conventional limits, and there was always a chance it could succeed.

Now, however, there was no need to risk her, because if the soul could be used to restore Diablo instead, then the result would strengthen both of them without placing her in danger.

He shoved his arm forward, making sure that Eve could see the archon hanging from his grip.

"Then we can use this thing."

He thought Eve wouldn’t hesitate to accept, especially since they were originally so set on killing the entity in the first place. But it seemed that it was only because of Ava that Eve chose to fight it in the end.

Because when Eve looked at it, she shook her head without even thinking about using it.

"I can’t."

The refusal caught him off guard, and he immediately pressed for an answer.

"Why not?"

"It has to be a human soul."

The response came simply, and although it surprised him, he accepted it quickly, because it was not difficult to believe that such a condition existed, and it only added to what he already understood about the divide between himself and humanity.

Knowing that Eve’s life was now out of danger, Noah’s attention returned to the spirit in his grasp, and his expression hardened as its value shifted.

"I know you can understand me," Noah said, his grip tightening slightly as he spoke.

"Before I end you, tell me something. What’s your connection to those damned angels- Better yet, can your so-called God see what’s happening right now?"

The archon did not respond; its attention remained fixed elsewhere because it continued to observe Eve rather than acknowledge Noah.

The failure weighed on it completely, because it had failed to retreat and failed to complete its purpose, and the fact that she still stood made that failure absolute.

Noah exhaled slowly as he realized he would gain nothing from it, and the cold intent within him returned as his murderous intentions were reignited.

The very hand that held the archon in place began to change as his fingers extended and sharpened into teeth, while the rest of his hand reshaped into the head of a drake, resembling a necrotic Bolas in form.

The transformation completed as the jaw closed around the Archon’s fading form, and its spirit broke apart as it was consumed piece by piece.

Noah did not stop, even though he could have stored it for later use, because in that moment, he chose to destroy it completely.

The last of it disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

—

Elsewhere, Ryder had already begun to flee the moment the holy field collapsed, because he understood that remaining would only result in his death. Out of them all, he only knew that the tiger beast kin was still alive. But the beastkin was already held captive.

The monster they fought had taken on a new form. Its body was muscular beyond belief.

The bear beastkin had attempted to meet it head-on even after its transformation, relying on durability alone.

That had only prolonged his suffering. His fur and muscle had endured the initial blows, yet the force behind each strike had crushed through bone and ruptured his organs, leaving his body broken from the inside long before it gave out externally.

That same monster now held the tiger by the head, its hand wrapped firmly around the top of his skull with no intention of letting go.

The tiger’s expression made the situation clear, because the pressure alone was already nearing the point of crushing his skull, yet he did not resist.

The blood covering his face served as a reminder of what had happened when he tried before, and whatever defiance he once held had been replaced with the instinct to survive for as long as he could.

Ryder did not look back again.

After managing to escape, he moved through the forest at full speed, yet the distance from Noah and the others did nothing to ease the tension in his body. Safety did not exist here anymore, not while he remained within their territory.

Whenever he slowed, even for a moment, webs struck where he had been moments before. He had seen what happened when those webs attached to someone; he couldn’t slack even for a second.

Behind him, even when he tried to mask his presence, movement followed without pause. It was as if each of them already knew where he would be next.