Reborn As An Evolving Monster

412  Deceit & Evolution!

To Mark's surprise, the General of Wrath didn't increase the speed or force of his movements and attacks.

He could now fairly easily dodge the attacks.

But after a couple of seconds, Zino suddenly stopped moving.

"I can't... Believe it." The General of Wrath whispered, his gaze stuck to the ground.

Before Mark could say a word, "You fucked me, Monster. You really did. I can't believe this."

Adding to his surprise, '...?'

Tears went down Zino's face.

The General is...??

"I can't believe you would fuck me like that." Zino cried as the Lightning that was moving up and down his body slowly disappeared. "I thought you understood. But you're actually like all the rest of them!"

'Shit...!'

Replacing that Lightning, a violent red Aura started oozing out of the General's body.

He took a step forward, and the ground cracked below the weight of his step and the pressure of his Aura.

"I THOUGHT YOU UNDERSTOOD!!" Zino shouted as he ran forward.

Mark immediately focused on the opponent.

His movements and the weight behind them made it clear.

'Dodge... At any cost.'

The General of Wrath's strength was Lightning. He used it to both cast incredibly fast Lightning Magic Skills and to strengthen his own body. That strengthening, Mark thought, mostly increased the speed of his movements. Now, there was only Aura. Which made his movements heavier and more powerful.

'Almost like two different forms.'

One focusing on speed, the other on strength.

Mark thought the first one to be deadlier.

Of course, if both were to be combined...

'Tsk...!'

The white-scaled Monster dodged the attack, but the wind pressure produced by the punch thrown was strong enough to mess up his balance!

13:51

"I THOUGHT WE WERE BOTH HAVING FUN!!" The General of Wrath shouted at the top of his lungs as his fist, enveloped with Aura, landed on the Monster's side. "I THOUGHT WE WERE BOTH FIGHTING FREELY!! BOTH PUTTING OUR STRENGTH TO THE TEST!! BUT YOU FUCKED ME!! HOW COULD YOU CHEAT ME THIS WAY?? HOW?!" Zino's sadness turned into pure anger as the white-scaled Monster was launched away. Before the Monster could even hit the ground, the General was already running forward!

"YOU'RE JUST LIKE ALL OF THEM!! YOU AND YOUR CUNNING TRICKS!! DECEITFUL SONS OF BITCHES!! I KNEW YOU WERE WEAK! I KNEW YOU WERE A WEAKLING!! BUT I THOUGHT..." Standing over the white-scaled Monster lying on the ground, Zino pulled his arm back. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE AT LEAST HONEST!!"

With the General's shout, the earth screamed as countless fissures were created around the point of impact.

The white-scaled Monster had barely managed to move its head in time.

It swiftly grabbed the General's wrist with both hands, raised its hips, and crossed its legs around that General's shoulder.

Aiming to break Zino's elbow...

Partial Gigantification!

With his heels on the General's shoulders and his hips strengthened by the Skill, he pushed against that elbow.

With his arms imbued with the Power of the Giants, he pulled that wrist!

The sequence of movements was perfect! Not one instant had been wasted.

The General didn't care one bit.

His wrist is being pulled down? Fine!

"ARGHH...!!"

The General's wrist and fist didn't fight back. On the contrary, Zino pushed down against the white-scaled Monster's sternum!

The weight and pressure made Mark feel like his heart would be crushed!

The fissures on the ground grew wider!

Would the elbow break, or would the heart burst? Which will give out first??

The wrist that Mark had been pulling on had become an unmovable weight on his chest!

***

It hurts.

It hurts!

I need to dodge!

I can't! That whip is too fast!!

I need to run away!

No! I came for Master! I won't leave without Master.

BUT IT HURTS!

If I was like Levi... Like Light...

I am not!

I need to find a way!

I need to move just like Elisa does!

But I can't... Do that.

I can! I need to!

I need to find a way! The same way Master always does!

But I'm not like...

I am strong!

Against the Boss Monster of the Fourth Floor, against that Giants of the Second Floor... Master relied on me!

I am by Master's side because I am strong!

I am not dead weight! I am not weak! I don't need to be protected! I am strong!

I wanted to prove it every time... Every time that Master told me to wait. To enter that Necklace.

But then... What now?

I need to become stronger! The same way Master does!

But I am not...

I am Master's Underling! I will prove... That I am Master's Underling!

I need to become more like Master! More like Elisa!

So that I won't have to wait anymore. So that I won't be dead weight.

So that when the three of us are back together...

"The same puny trick?" The Commander of Wrath whispered to himself as he stopped swinging his whip and jumped back thrice. From the Moonlit Feline chest, a blueish light shone! The light grew brighter and brighter until its body wasn't visible anymore!

The ground started shaking.

The Creatures of the Night ran and leaped towards that Light. To suppress it. To suffocate it!

So that when the three of us are back together-

The Commander of Wrath suddenly felt a chill.

The night was getting cold.

Incredibly cold.

'I can fight by your side!'

...

The light faded.

The Commander of Wrath chuckled. The Creatures of the Night were still-

Why aren't they moving? Wait... They're hanging in the air??

Perhaps it was because of the darkness, because of the lack of light but...

A small and delicate hand made its way out.

It grabbed onto... The air?

The hand pulled on it, and it cracked.

The Commander of Wrath felt a shiver.

The blocks fell as they broke. The Creatures of the Night, dead and part of those blocks, were fissured and shattered. That's how cold it was. How quickly their body temperature had dropped. Ice so clear it was invisible.

"I will..."

Krista's eyes shone brighter than ever. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Protect Master."

The Commander's eyes, too, shone.

A Moonlit Feline had just Evolved in front of him.

And as Krista's body was revealed,

'Eleven... No, thirteen years old?'

The Commander smiled, his face contorted with wickedness.

'Those fetch a very good price... When sold to the right people.'