Becoming a Monster-Chapter 348: The Tree Must Die

The hybrids advanced, their instincts warning them of something malicious targeting them from every corner of the forest. The ominous signs should have alerted them that their presence was already compromised. They might not have been aware of the members that made up the rest of Noah’s party, but their hive mind connection to their "Queen" gave them the knowledge of the tree that birthed seeds that bestowed unimaginable power.

Despite knowing their every move was most likely being watched, the creatures continued. Their mission took priority over their lives.

Their mission was clear: kill the tree.

Because, to the creatures of the forest, whoever had control of the tree would dictate the ownership of the forest. They believed the tree’s fruit held that much power. And after witnessing Noah’s strength through their hive mind, the new "Queen" sought to diminish his power before confronting him personally.

That was why they had to strike now. With servants that would literally work till their deaths, they had eyes on Noah’s domain at all times.

They were immediately alerted of Noah’s departure, as well as the fact that he took his strongest warriors with him.

They waited just to be sure, but after so much time had passed, they made the bold decision to act.

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The first clash happened before they could arrive in the clearing.

Within the thick underbrushes of the trees, light was still barely penetrating through the canopy. This was where the serpent would thrive. Not out in the open where Noah’s home was.

Its body blended with the dark greenery and shadows.

It laid in wait, the moment the closest group crossed its path, it struck forward. The thickness of its body, which was already near the full height of the average bear-bee, meant that it was fully capable of swallowing its prey whole.

And that was what it did.

It didn’t lunge, it merely struck so fast while its body remained in the comfort of the shadows. It moved so fast that the air cracked. One of the bear-bees from the group of the smaller hybrid leader was chosen as its target.

The creature vanished before any of its companions could react. The last sound they heard was the intense thrumming of its wings struggling in the serpent’s opened mouth, then silence.

The serpent tried its best not to reveal itself. Only its prey was visible, partially crushed and halfway swallowed. It only needed to fully swallow the rest of its prey to hide back in the shadows. But it had made a mistake. It underestimated the alertness, and the speed of the newest member among the hybrid leaders.

A hum that sounded more like a high pitch, electric buzz approached it. The sleek hybrid, the one built purely for speed, darted forward almost the same time that the snake had coiled back from its strike. Its antennae quivered madly to alert the others, while its two thin stingers were already stabbing towards the serpent’s eyes.

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A resounding screech sounded from where the hybrid leader departed. Only the bear-bees from its group veered off to follow.

The two remaining groups, however, stayed on course, undeterred. Whether the new member lived or died was irrelevant, as long as its presence served as a distraction and the mission could be fulfilled.

Yet as they continued forward, the leader who had a history with the serpent still turned its head to look in the direction of the beastial cry. For creatures whose duty was their life, who should be void of any emotions or interest outside of the hive’s interest, its eyes showed a lingering hesitation.

Returning to the hive defeated, with nothing to show for it but grim news to its Queen; that the tree was somehow successful in reviving the serpent, a creature who was once on par with the original Queen’s former power.

That revelation alone would shake the hive’s faith in the new order.

It clenched its mandibles, wings humming with restrained fury. It had lived with the shame of its previous failure for too long. To see the serpent alive was a reminder of the stain it had never been able to wash away.

It wanted to turn back. To be the one to crush the beast, rip the power from its body, and deliver its head to the Queen, not as a trophy, but as proof that it could still serve. That it could still redeem itself.

But the mission came first.

The hybrid forced itself to turn away, falling back into formation without a word. The path ahead was clear. So long as the tree burned, and the Queen’s claim to the forest was secured, all other desires could be silenced.

The two groups quickly traversed through the greenery before they eventually reached a clearing. They halted at its edge, their compound eyes flickering as they processed their surroundings.

The giant hive stood out first, one that they had never seen before. Then their gaze swept across the defenders stationed near it.

Doubt surfaced...Was this it?

The first hybrid leader scrutinized the scene before it.

Any colony that held a queen capable of granting power strong enough to rival the hive’s elites should have left behind more defenders. Countless soldiers. Layers of protection. Yet here stood only a handful.

It made no sense. And for the briefest moment, it felt that it was walking into a trap. But its hesitation didn’t last. The enemy were already approaching them, and although their numbers were small, the hybrid couldn’t look down on their loyalty to their hive.

Outnumbered, and from its senses, their strength was equal to that of their hybrid grunts. And yet, they approached them without fear, without hesitation, no caution.

That puzzled the leader.... until its eyes settled on one.

Among the defenders stood a creature whose gaze was more dangerous than its aura. The creature looked upon them not a will to fight, but with a desire to hunt, to devour.

The other hybrids felt it too. Even if they didn’t comprehend it, instinct took over. Their nerves screamed. And it was the juggernaut leader who couldn’t hold back anymore. If the nimble leader was constantly vigilant, the adaptable leader ever strategizing, then the last leader was created primarily for battle.

Its mandibles clicked, sounding stronger and louder than the impact of steel meeting stone as it thundered forward in response to the hungering beast. Its own group of bear-bees followed in pursuit.

This time too, the first hybrid leader didn’t immediately attack. Its gaze scanned the vicinity ferociously before resting on the hive. The tree had to be there.

It moved with speed that it couldn’t show before, now that it no longer had to keep pace with the other leader. It felt that its goal would easily succeed. The three remaining guards went to intercept the other leader. There was no one to prevent its mission.

But it had forgotten...rather, its Queen wasn’t aware of it either. The tree was no longer the same tree as they remembered it. Pandora didn’t need to rely on her symbiotic partners to protect herself.

The moment it reached halfway between the hive and the open field, the entire scenery suddenly changed.

Roots? What kind of roots were these?

The entire group was besieged by countless roots, enough to completely conceal their vision. And... their escape.

The creatures were unable to fathom how there could be so many. In the end, they panicked. Their organization quickly faltered, only for their attention to be seized again by their leader.

Their antennae buzzed as each of them followed into formation, working to break through the roots.

Their Queen had already given the order. Their deaths were insignificant compared to the mission. They only needed to clear a path for their leader to advance.

The creatures threw themselves at the roots, attempting to tear them all down.

But in their first attempt to swipe down the seemingly never-ending roots, they encountered a phenomenon that caused them to momentarily freeze.

Their claws had phased through the roots!

Pandora wasn’t a fighter. Her past pacifism and lack of direct altercations left her with little to no amount of knowledge of how to utilize her skill besides send out a lot of roots and win in numbers.

That line of logic still carried with her even after Noah bestowed upon her an evolution that was rooted in illusions.

There were numerous ways to utilize her illusion-based evolution. Ways Noah might have imagined or even ways that could be done only by someone like her whose domain crossed miles of forest.

But not only had Pandora been left to discover these ways on her own, but her personality was still too direct and far too simple.

Yet even a simple approach could be advantageous when she had the home field advantage, as well as the initiative of surprise.

The moment their attack faltered, a second wave of roots appeared... the real ones.

These creatures weren’t as small as Noah, so she dismissed the thought of merely slamming her roots into their tough exteriors.

Roots quickly surged forth, aiming to surronung and tie up individual limbs, spreading smaller roots to tighten around the membranes of their wings.

Their leader’s doubt echoed back. It saw the illusions but couldn’t understand the mechanisms behind it.

But it couldn’t allow itself to fail, not again.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om