Becoming a Monster

The cut was festering and beginning to emit a greenish toxin that began to burn at his insides.

Meanwhile, Noah felt exasperated, 'how can everyone be so useless? What have they been doing this entire time?' He thought when he witnessed how the the students could barely take on the runners, but he couldn't continue to let himself feel that way.

Things were turning bad at every point.

His mind raced faster than any other time in his life. The people continued to panic after the 'seemingly' strong Lucas continued to whine and were losing ground. LeRoy's group was now struggling even more to gain the upper hand. At this time, running away seemed to be the better option.

'But if I do that then this bastard would only grow stronger…I can't fight him and his little army alone if I leave everyone to die…'

He looked towards the Zombie King that took a small step towards him. Overtime Noah's been concerned that if he doesn't finish the King off soon then the poison would lose its effect on him. Anxiously, his fingers began to twitch and his focus seemed to be elsewhere.

Suddenly his body showed a trace of relief and he couldn't hold back a smile. He felt it before he needed to see it. That comfortable and addicting sensation that occurs in his body whenever he gains more stats.

This was what he was hoping for when he allowed Grim to go around focusing only on the runners.

He couldn't spend the time to look at his stats but he had to quickly spend the five unused points and there was only one attribute he felt that could help him turn the tables.

Placing all of his stats into his agility, he refocused all of his attention towards the King once more. His eyes reflected a heavy state of turmoil going through his mind, but the feeling was fleeting. He struggled with himself ever since he gained the chimera trait. He was always being hesitant with progressing the skill and the unique triats he's obtained. Afraid that he would lose the only part of himself that truly made him who he was.

Yet time and time again he's been forced to realize that he's been holding himself back. If he was to lose that part that he was afraid to lose, then he will continue to become stronger till he finds within himself another quality that he could be proud of.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do…" Slowly his expression became decisive, his blood flowed quickened while the pressure of his blood began to build enough that you could slightly make out the dark color of his veins.

That decisiveness began to grow bloodthirsty as he looked towards the King with disdain.

"If I need to be a monster…then i'll become a monster that even monsters must fear…" He let himself be consumed in his instincts, the last thought that was constantly on his mind when staring into the King's eyes was to devour.

"?"

For the first time since the Kings interaction with any human, this would be the first time it felt an instinctual fear. It didnt know what fear was, but its body was still very familiar to the feeling. It became agitated, it needed to strike down the source of that feeling and blindly forced itself to take another heavy step to enter striking range.

"Grrraalll"

It tried to roar out to assert its kingly dominance over Noah while swinging with the might to that could fell an elephant. It was no longer fighting cautiously to fight both Noah and Arachne. Its instincts were shouting for it to kill the human in front of it at all cost.

However, as the sword descended towards Noah, it noticed the human's mouth was salivating while a crazed grin graced his face.

Bang!*

An impact like no other destroyed the area of the court that Noah was originally standing on, but he was no longer there. The King could still keep up with his movements, but that didn't mean it could react to what was going to happen. It has been relying on its sword skills all this time and was its greatest strength, but the fear ruling over its body governed it to use more force than needed.

Noah used that chance to force his way into the King's personal space and achieved what Lucas couldnt.

"Aaaaeerrrerrgg!"

The King roared when its Achilles' tendon was cut and was no longer able to support the rest of its leg. It was still able to catch itself before falling over and landed on its knee. Yet Noah continued to approach, the King wasn't a creature that would stop fighting just because it could feel pain.

It swiped its sword horizontally to cleave Noah in half or atleast drive him back, but Noah was moving like a fish in water. He ducked the sword and then hurriedly circled around the King when he saw its hand approaching. This would've been the time for him to try to end it all.

It's a shame, he wasn't able to think logically and performed an action that was surprising and utterly disgusting if anyone was watching his fight right now.

Crunch!*

His teeth tore into its neck before it contacted the bone. Quickly he bounced back when he felt the King about to retaliate and was able to avoid another blow.

But Noah didn't leave without gaining anything. His cheeks were swoll, as he savagely munched on the skin and muscles in his mouth. Blood gushed out with each bite and his bloodthirsty eyes appeared hungry and unsatisfied.

The King became so fixed on Noah that he forgot about the other participant. For the first time, Arachne witnessed her master eating the flesh of a creature and it just happened to be the creature that she too enjoys eating.

Astonishingly she assumed that this creature in particular had to be more tasty than anything she's eaten so far, but sadly she couldn't consume flesh like her master could.

She became more excited in her attacks and when the King turned to attack Noah, she leaped onto its back and dug her fangs near his nap.

Yet without warning, she instantly retreated at the sound of the King roaring again. But this roar was different, it was similar to the cry of a cornered animal that has nothing to lose.

The cry itself wasn't what made her retreated. It was the greenish gas from earlier. Unlike last time where it created the zombie subordinates. Changes were occurring to its subordinates on the courts and the zombies around it.

Under everyone's eyes, the zombies bodies began to emit the same glow and suddenly a gas, almost entirely black with a green undertone continuously seeped out of their bodies and were being directed to the king.

In real time, as the King was absorbing the energies, his body was going through a physical change. It's body figure was developing muscles comparable to a fitness junkie while it was growing a little more in height.

At the same time it was going through the changes, it didn't realize that the energy made it more enticing to the one opposing it. If Noah was hungry before, now he was ravenous. The King sat unmoving while the changes were occurring, but it was still aware of everything around it. It could only watch on as Noah was eating it alive.

The zombies being absorbed were no longer moving and disturbingly, their bodies were losing their physical mass. The scene was similar to liposuction but instead of fat, EVERYTHING was being sucked out from them.

This gave the bewildered students all the chance to follow the direction of the gas before the expression of them all turned worse than the fear they held when they were being attacked by zombies.

"H-he's ea-eating it???"

"Blaargh!"

Everyone had different reactions to the scene. Some of them felt disgusted, others confused and the rest terrified, however none of them could stop watching.

The ones who were atleast familiar to him; LeRoy and his group felt even more conflicted.

"Sh-should we help him…?" The summoner Joe asked

"….." Zoe didn't have a response. She didn't think she would see such a scene. 'Was he still human?' That question replayed in her head over and over. What if they helped him and he happened to be worse than what they were fighting now. She was unsure if she should take this chance to kill Noah and only focus on the Zombie King.

"Luc! LUCAS!" However, unlike the rest. LeRoy was more concerned about his friend. Lucas wasn't whimpering anymore like before but he continued to growl in pain while ripping at the surrounding fur of his cut.

LeRoy never questioned why Lucas never reverted back to his human form.

During the time Noah was feasting on the King. An almost inconceivable boon was taking place. Noah's mind was being blasted with notifications one after the other.

[+1 magic]

[+1 magic]

[+1 stamina]

He wasn't aware of it but he was constantly get updates on what was happening.

Normally you wouldn't gain attributes eating the body of another from what Noah had gathered. But this was different from before. The King was constantly growing stronger during this time from absorbing the life energy of the surrounding zombies.

Yet it didn't realize that In doing so, it allowed Noah to absorb that energy too as it was being devoured.

And with the aid of Noah's recent skill 'budding feeder'. No matter how much he ate, he would never grow full. But there was also a hidden function that 'budding feeder' offered and was the sole reason why zombies were able to grow so quickly even when they were incapable of killing at the rate of everyone else.

Unluckily Noah isn't aware of what's happening and wouldn't find out until much later.

Minutes flew by while everyone watched silently to what was happening. The sound of flesh being bitten and the small roars of an unintelligible zombie were the only sounds taking place. Arachne and Grim weren't sure of what to do. They both knew the joy of eating, but they also knew that food shouldn't be shared so they both silently agreed to just sit and watch.

Strangely, they didn't mind. They weren't sure how but they both felt an increasing strength welling within them as their master satisfied his stomach.

ROAAAAR!*

The oppressive voice echoed, sending shivers down everyone's spines and many face-planted into the floor.

The King has finally finished its transformation. It stood up on its healed foot, while the aura it transmitted was twice as oppressive as before.

But its appearance wasn't quite as impressive, it grew from 8ft to well above 12. It tried to appear domineering, yet it was hard to take it seriously when Noah could be seen hanging from its shoulder, continually ripping through its skin.

Multiple tears of its skin were bleeding profusely and the bones that Noah wasn't able to bite through could be viewed even from the distance of the stands.

The multiple points of bleeding helped its terrifying appearance. However the bloody figure on its body appeared more terrifying.

Now that it was done, the Zombie King instantly turned its attention to Noah. It stabbed its sword into the ground and used its hand to reach for him. It's other arm was no longer usable. Located at its shoulder, multiple large pieces of flesh were missing. The king wasn't a Lich, made of entirely bone and could still operate its body.

Its brain was still operating at a functional level and was connected to its nerves. Without its muscles and nerves attached to its arm anymore, it wasn't able to use it.

Instinctively Noah sensed the now giant hand approaching and jumped down to retrieve his weapons again.

Just as quickly as he jumped down, he had to dodge again. The Zombie King was able to reach for his sword and attack in the brief time Noah landed on the ground. The absorption of the energy inspired bigger change besides just its physical appearance.

Thankfully Noah also gained from it or no matter how much his body was able to perceive its attacks, he wouldn't be fast enough to dodge them. Swing after swing, the King relentlessly attacked and Noah could only dodge.

He wanted to counterattack just like last time but he was left little room. His sensory hairs would detect another attack coming whenever he went for an opportunity so he would have to give it up.

Grim and Arachne grew antsy when they watched the exchange. Arachne couldn't find an opening now that the King seemed to no longer be infected by its venom and its movements returned. And both were being oppressed by the king's aura. Their spirit wasn't nearly as high enough to repress it now that the King has grown stronger.

"Awwwhhhhooooo!"

"Ahhhh! NOOOOO! HEL-"

Crunch!*

While Noah and the king was going through their exchange. Another significant event was transpiring.

The spectators turned their eyes to the source and saw Lucas? Biting LeRoy in half!

But something was wrong, the Lucas they saw didn't look like the same werewolf from before.