Chapter 697 - 696: The Privileges of the Fallen

Chapter 697: Chapter 696: The Privileges of the Fallen

Dobby couldn’t do anything about Noah’s aura itself, but the emotions making the goblins so susceptible to its influence were another matter.

Their frustration with their own weakness, their desperation to survive, and their overwhelming desire to become stronger had already grown beyond what their souls could handle.

Although Dobby couldn’t understand why those feelings were causing their bodies to change, he could still recognize that they were responsible for whatever was happening to them.

Fortunately, dealing with such emotions was something he was more than capable of doing.

As Dobby began absorbing them, the goblins gradually lost the desperation that had driven them to accept the changes in the first place. Their bodies continued trembling for a short while, but without those feelings encouraging them to give in, the mutations that had been progressing so rapidly finally came to a stop.

Of course, that didn’t mean they had returned to normal.

The additional limbs and grotesque growths that had developed across their bodies remained, leaving several of the goblins looking considerably different from how they had appeared only moments earlier. But at the very least, they were no longer undergoing any further changes.

And with Dobby continuing to interfere with the emotions of Noah’s other allies, the possibility of more of them suffering the same fate had diminished considerably.

Still, there was only so much he could do.

Noah was currently high above the forest. Had he been standing among them, there was no telling how many would’ve been capable of resisting the influence trying to change their souls.

Fortunately, not all of Noah’s creatures needed Dobby’s help.

For those connected to him and his Fallen, the situation was entirely different. The few who weren’t Fallen but were connected to him, such as Bolas and Eve, felt no change.

However, as Noah’s aura touched his Fallen, the strange runic markings on their bodies glowed a brighter green before spreading through their body. For Kratos, nearly his entire arms were covered in them.

Each of Arachne’s spider appendages was etched with them, and Fenrir’s four limbs, from his claws to where they connected to his body, were glowing just as brightly.

Ailetta, however, was the only one that was different; instead of runes, the eye centered in her chest gained similar green flames around its pupils.

Unlike everyone else, they experienced none of the fear or temptation accompanying the aura’s arrival.

Instead, their bodies seemed to welcome its influence.

The dark energy entering their bodies began replenishing the mana they had exhausted throughout the battle, but that wasn’t the only change taking place.

The traits and abilities that made each of his Fallen unique were being forced to awaken, allowing them to reach a level of potential that should’ve been impossible for them to achieve in their current state.

Under normal circumstances, reaching such a stage could’ve required years of growth, perhaps even decades of developing their abilities before they were capable of undergoing the same awakening.

Yet Noah’s aura was forcing those changes to occur in a matter of moments, regardless of whether their bodies were ready for them.

Those awakenings manifested differently for each Fallen, since each one was unique.

Kratos underwent the most drastic change, as his existential trait allowed him to possess two different forms. Yet instead of transforming into either one, both forms began merging together.

His body gradually shrank, losing much of the overwhelming size he had possessed in his transformed state. However, his smaller frame was now more proportionate, with dense layers of black and bone-colored scales forming a natural armor across his muscular body.

Red cracks could be seen between the scales, while several sharp protrusions extended from his shoulders and along his limbs.

His monstrous, armored head retained its elongated shape, with massive curved horns extending from either side. His enormous wings remained, while his long, heavily armored tail curved high above his body, its inner surface lined with glowing red runes.

Yet despite his reduced size, his appearance had become considerably more imposing, as though the immense power of his larger form had been compressed into a smaller, more refined body.

Fenrir’s black and red flames grew fiercer, flaring out from every location. Flames erupted around his paws, turning everything he stepped on to cinders. Those same flames constantly rushed out with every breath he took, as though his flames were now bottomless.

The remaining two Fallen who had undergone physical changes were Baka and Dummy.

The broken gems and cracked portions of Baka’s skin were no longer slowly repairing themselves. Instead, a dark, sinister-looking ore began forming over his knuckles, gradually accumulating into thick, jagged layers that extended across his hands and forearms.

As more of the ore developed, the layers began taking the shape of massive gauntlets, with sharp, uneven protrusions extending from their surface. A menacing aura seeped from the dark mineral, growing more noticeable as the gauntlets took shape.

And that was just the start. No one knew just what other changes would occur as the creature took on more wounds.

Dummy, on the other hand, had all three of his retained genetics undergo more significant changes within him.

Because of Otuk’s blood, his body grew larger, and his already dense skin became considerably more durable.

The qualities he had inherited from Noah’s strongest slime began developing further, forming thick layers of slime that hardened over his rough exterior until they resembled a second layer of armor.

It was a change that suited Dummy particularly well. Throughout the battle, he had repeatedly been attacked while attempting to eat, and although those injuries hadn’t been enough to kill him, they had forced him to interrupt his meals more times than he would’ve liked.

And if there was one thing Dummy couldn’t tolerate, it was being interrupted while eating.

Now, with the additional protection developing across his body, it would become considerably harder for anyone to force him to stop.

Lastly, wisps of dirt began constantly shifting around him, moving independently of his body as though they possessed a will of their own.

Ailetta was another whose physical changes were impossible to overlook.

A third pair of wings had begun growing from her back, bringing the total to six. Together with the halo she already possessed, her appearance had become even more reminiscent of the celestial beings she was fighting.

And as the additional wings finished forming, her aura increased considerably, perhaps even more than that of the other Fallen.

However, what those changes meant for her abilities was another matter entirely.

Of the remaining Fallen, Arachne and Dobby were the only two whose appearances hadn’t undergone such drastic changes.

Arachne’s four pupils had turned a dazzling green, but beyond that, there was little to indicate what her awakening had actually accomplished.

And lastly, there was Dobby.

The feline didn’t appear to change at all. For a brief moment, the emptiness in his eyes began to shift, but before anything could happen, his tattoos suddenly glowed with enough intensity to illuminate his surroundings, seemingly sealing away whatever had begun awakening within him.

Noah remained oblivious to what had happened, while nearly everyone else was too focused on the sky to notice.

Even those who witnessed it couldn’t understand what had occurred. Only Dobby seemed aware of what had happened, yet the old sage showed no signs of concern as he closed his eyes in contemplation.

All of these changes had taken place at nearly the same time. And although there were still creatures who remained unaffected by Noah’s aura, even they had stopped moving, their attention fixed on what was happening above them.

It wasn’t only because they were concerned about Noah’s decision to unleash an ability he had always treated as a last resort. There was something else happening in the sky, something that had drawn the attention of nearly everyone on the battlefield.

Transparent figures were rising from the forest in astonishing numbers. Humans, trolls, and goblins alike could be seen among them, their translucent forms gradually ascending toward the same unfathomable aura that had brought the fighting to a halt.

They were souls.

The sight of so many souls ascending at once was daunting enough on its own. Yet for the monsters who understood what Noah was capable of doing with them, another thought had begun occupying their minds.

Just how much stronger was Noah going to become after absorbing them all?

—

In the sky, the Seraphim was on one side and, surprisingly, wasn’t making an effort to stop whatever Noah was doing.

Yet it was this same behavior that forced Noah’s hand.

During the time of their first repeated altercations, Noah had noticed that the Seraphim wasn’t being aggressive at all. If the Seraphim had a chance to try to kill him, it would take it. But during this entire time, it felt as if the Seraphim was only trying to buy time.

For what, Noah couldn’t say for sure. However, he was reminded of the time two Seraphim merged into one to create a being that he couldn’t contend with back then.

If the Seraphim was waiting for another to be summoned, then Noah wouldn’t sit here and let that happen.

Even with all his countermeasures, there was no reason to let this being grow stronger.

So he finally underwent the transformation he was afraid to use.

If the Seraphim had been waiting for an opportunity to turn the battle in its favor, Noah was determined to make it regret that decision.