Reborn As An Evolving Monster

415  Imminent Death

A sigh of resignation was all the white-scaled Monster could muster.

The only hope he had left was Dark Magic. He had managed to use it during his fight against the Undead Lich but... Not now.

Mark was unable to use it. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Unable to connect with that feeling. With that darkness. That emptiness.

Perhaps it was because he had seen Krista. Perhaps because Laylah had made him think about Elisa. Perhaps because his death had allowed Laylah to escape. Because his death served a purpose?

Never had Mark faced a more certain death than now.

Yet, he could feel that his instincts wouldn't help. His Titles wouldn't butt in. No Influence either... Nothing.

It was fun while it lasted.

Fun, but also sad.

Perhaps this could have been avoided.

All of it could have been avoided.

Raven had given him freedom instead of acting as a guide. Freedom to wander. Freedom to face Commanders and Generals on his own. But Raven could hardly be blamed for that, right?

Even the Vampire Lord had handed Mark a map. A map with a sign. An -N- denoting Nia's position.

Yes... Had they gone towards that -N-, all of it could have been avoided.

They wouldn't have stepped into Sloth's domain. No Orcish Fiends. No Commanders.

They wouldn't have stepped into Lust's domain. No Influence. No painful separation.

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They wouldn't have...

A General had found him.

But Draconia is a General too. If she were here, if they had gone to her instead...

It's too easy to think this way now. With that sigh of resignation, Mark halted his breathing.

Death was approaching. This time, there truly was no way to avoid it.

Dying quietly? Again? Like you let yourself die in that hospital room? A quiet and silent death? Really?

This is different though.

Or maybe not. In any case, it feels completely different.

Laylah will leave this place. Krista will be alerted of my death, just like I get alerted by the death of my Underlings. She will leave this place, and join Elisa's side again.

Why am I thinking about others when I'm about to die? I suppose it's because I don't have anything else, anything left. Deadly Sins, Demon Lords, Demon King. Those all sound fun but... I'm not really mad. Too bad is all I can say. Yeah. Too bad. Just like it's too bad I didn't get to play football. All sports seemed equally fun to me after all. It's just... Too bad, I guess.

 I don't want to die.

But I don't really have a choice, do I? I thought I could... Do something. Be something in this World. It's too bad. It's a familiar feeling. It's fine.

It's fine.

"Let's see you deal with it now!!" Zino shouted as Mana was Condensed at the tip of his index finger.

The Dungeon was fun.

The outside started into a pleasant dream. But the dream turned into a nightmare.

This is fine.

'This is...'

As both parties held their breath, the Lightning Bolt started moving, aimed at the white-scaled Monster's stomach.

Due to the impact that the Magic Skill has had, the latter knew. Half of its body would be turned to ash. The other half would be scorched. There's no way to come back from that, is there?

'There isn't... Because I am not strong.'

Both Zino and Mark remained unmoving, as the Lightning Bolt traveled the distance separating them.

Nothing could catch up to it, and it couldn't be dodged.

Only one had been moving before the Lightning Bolt had even been shot.

Right before the Lightning Bolt was shot, she appeared, covering his field of vision.

For a split second, her raven-black strands seemed to turn ashen.

The Lightning Bolt was shot, and the General of Wrath's eyes widened.

With a flash, it was done.

A dazed Mark found himself unable to react, unable to move, unable to think.

KrshhKrack-

Her raven-black hair as well as her dark dress were tainted by the crimson drops of blood.

A deafening thunderclap echoed under the Barrier. And with the thunderclap, she fell to the ground.

Her right side as well as half of her stomach had been utterly decimated. Where there once was skin, muscles, bones, and organs, there now was... Nothing. All had disappeared, swallowed by the roar of thunder.

For the dazed white-scaled Monster, who had accepted that its time had come, that it was about to die, that its life had come to an end, how much time before it managed to lower its gaze?

"Lay... Lah?"

The white-scaled Monster found himself utterly unable to even think.

"So her presence was so unimpressive and non-threatening that I didn't even notice her approach. Mmh... I suppose that's better." The General of Wrath muttered.

The first one to get here, yet the last one to leave.

"You were supposed... To go..." A splitting headache. "What the fuck... Was the point of that?"

At his feet, the unmoving and bleeding-

"HAHA!" Zino's elbow connected with Mark's chin, launching the latter away. "Since she protected you, I'm guessing you're the secret, huh? The important one is you!!" He shouted while running to catch up to the Monster.

The latter rolled on the ground twice. Its body came to a stop with its back against the ground.

The General of Wrath stood over it with wide eyes.

The white-scaled Monster did not move.

"What are you doing?"

"Do it."

"Do what?"

"She... Sacrificed herself to protect me. To buy me... A couple of seconds? When she could've run away. When she should've..."

"So?"

The General of Wrath grabbed the white-scaled Monster's ankle, lifting his whole body off the ground, before delivering a powerful punch to its stomach!

"Oh, come on. I'm not killing you now." Zino said, a wide smile on his face. "There were two of you, so I had to speed things up. Wouldn't have wanted the other to leave after all."

'Huh...?' The white-scaled Monster remained on the ground

"Now that there's only you..." He cracked his knuckles. "I'll take my time."

"Ahh... Ha..."

The way she had placed herself between... Without saying a word, without... I thought I was about to... I definitely thought this was... Unable to do a thing... Unable to-

"Ha... Hahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahha!"

"What's so funny?" Zino asked with sparkling eyes.

"HahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahaHahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahha!"