Reborn As A Tentacle Monster - Chapter 23 The Gates Of Evolution

My first evolution ends up with me dying, again. Fucking lackluster.

How would I describe what the fuck was going on at this very moment? Is this really how evolution works? I always thought it would be more enlightening than this.

I don’t even know where I am. Is this what death feels like? Empty and extremely cold. My body was completely numb and lifeless. It was like I had never existed. Time had stopped, there was no black or white color to be seen. No heavenly lights from above or scorching flames from hell below. I was not in a dream void either. It was like I was stuck in an infinite loop of nothingness.

“Well now, it seems you’re lost, Peculiar one.” Echoes an unknown voice.

“Who’s talking?” I ask as I spin my head around and see a shadowy humanoid figure in a meditation stance. I presume that I was in my human soul form as my hands were translucent like a ghost and I was able to float easily in the air. There was no center of gravity in this mysterious realm.

“Who am I? Who are you? What am I? What are you? Such fruitless questions when compared to the Grand Universe and Cosmos of Beyond. The shadow humaniod tilts his faceless head in a impossible angle that would have snapped my neck off if I were to copied its exact movements.

“So, are you saying that I am dead?” I infer as I sat down with the creepy shadow figure and cross my legs in a meditation stance.

“Haha! Humans are such one minded creatures. They care so much about life, but they rarely accept death. You must embrace both to become stronger. To answer your insignificant question, you are merely transforming. In this very moment and time, your soul and body are morphing.”

“What will I become?” I ask as I look at my ghostly soul hands.

“You will become what actions you have done. When I look at your soul aura all I see is nothing but emptiness. I see someone lost and afraid to accept the truth.”

“I am not afraid! The things I’ve seen will make anyone go mad! I am not some mindless insane murder! I only kill to survive in a world that is filled with beast and demons!” I yell out as I grit my teeth in anger.

“How mendacious of you. You are still holding on to your sanity. Tell me this mortal. Why is it when countless humans go to war and slaughter each other over meaningless matters, no one lefts a finger to care about the fallen? No, no those human souls are expendable in their eyes. But when one King dies every mortal whimpers and cry’s for his demise. When one legend dies they build great statues and halls of gold to mourn them. Yet when thousands die they forget about those souls as if they were nothing but dirt and dust dissipating into the wind.” The Shadow Humanoid forms one large, pulsating, bloody-red eye on its forehead and stands up, its body towers over me with godly proportions.

“How much is one life really worth? Kill one God, hated by all. Slaughter thousands of mortals and you are a monster.” It raises both of his godly hands upwards in a Scales of Justice position.

“What does this have to do with me?” I snarled as get up and look for a way out of this dark void realm.

“Everything. You have two choices in this world as with any living being in Zareth. Accept your humanity and mortal soul, knowing that you can never become something greater or accept your primal instincts and monster urges to evolve into a beast of great power.” The Shadow Humanoid opens its palms and constructs a black hole in one palm and a flaming sun on the other to show its omnipotent powers and dominance over me.

“And if I chose neither?” I said as I point my index figure at the godly shadow-like supreme being.

“You are truly are a peculiar one. It’s a matter of choice. But one who does not choose a path will be lost for all entirety. One can’t evolve if they can’t change and chose their destiny.”

Yeah, this unknown deity is right. I have been so close-minded since I was reborn into a tentacle monster I never had the chance to experience anything worthwhile when I was blind. But in Zareth that was different. I could see everything and experience a whole new world. I know I still felt bad about what I did to Violet, how I attacked Sira, and devouring the baby goblins and orcs. It was my human instincts and nature to feel guilt and sorrow. Then again, I am not a human anymore. I know what choice I must make.

“I’ve decided, but before I tell you. Tell me, what are you?” I asked again.

“OHH? Have you? I am”

“What I can’t hear you- Aaahhhhh! My head!” I grip my forehead and fall inside a mass of dark matter.

An infinite warp of giant marble gate doors with metal chains wrapped over them started to appear all around me. The gates slowly cracked opened like a dragonling hatching from its dragon egg. A loud “CREAK!” reverberated across the endless void of nothing. The mighty marble gate doors had opened wide.

Through the open gates, I see millions upon millions of glowing red eyes glaring at me in the dark void of my mindscape.

“*Bastard get out of my sight*.” Echoes my father’s voice.

“*You are not my son*.” Echoes my mother.

“*Traitor*.” An Orc snarls in a beastly growl.

“*You don’t love me! You’re a lair!*” Accuses my sister.

“*Food!*” Shouts a bouncy slime beast voice.

“*Roarwwrgh!*” Roars a Drakoros dragon.

“*Momma! Papa!*” cries out baby goblins and orcs in fear.

“*All this time Healer Maiden and I have tried to trust you! I thought you were a different beast! Not like the ones who slaughtered the people in my village! But I was wrong!*” Sira angrily yells with rage in her voice.

“*I had a feeling that you were something special, Zed. Deep down in my heart.*” Violets soft voice rings out. Her voice rattles through my brain.

“Why was I reborn? Why was I even born? I should just die-” My voice echoes.

“Make it stop! Make it fucking stop!!!” I thundered as my eyeballs begin melting and I claw at my skull.

“Aaaaaah! My heads about to explode!” I shout in insane pain.

“You thought you were the only one? Foolish child” Thunders the powerful voice of the Shadow God.

“I want it all to stop! I will become the strongest beast in the world! I will evolve!” I mightly roar out as I angrily raised my hands to the sky.

—POV Change—

Inside of an empty lavastone cave stood a tentacle monster whose body was vibrating and expanding violently. Its evolution process had begun. A river of dark amorphous liquid excreted from its massive eyeball, covering all of its tentacles with an unidentifiable blackish biomass. Red mana sparks encircled its outer body like a force field of thunder. A glowing, mist-like aura of pure ebony, hovered above the tentacle monster’s scaly and slimy dragonskin.

Suddenly, a human hand punches through the pupil of the beast and an earth-shattering explosion had occurred. A fireworks display of bloody flesh and bones splattered in every direction within the rocky den. Pieces of dragon meat, slime blood, ghoul guts, shredded goblin skull fragments, and greyish Orc brain matter coated the ceiling, walls, and floor of the lavastone den.

All that was left to be seen on the rocky floors of the den was thousands of blackish symbiotic liquid-bodied alien life-form tentacles wrapping around a naked male human body. The tentacles soon formed a shadow-like, black skin casing for the evolved human and a row of ten larger, wrathful, wiggling black tentacles were seen forming along the human’s spinal cord. The face of the human had no skin or muscle fibers, his hollow skull could be visibly seen as the black tentacles slithered their way inside his boney orbital cavity, nasal canal and jaws. Once they entered they formed a human face. Skin, muscle fibers, and human eyeballs all conjoined together in order to reconstruct the young males face. The same process was done to the rest of his lower naked body. His entire skin became a shadowy-black color, and so were his eyes. A pair of tentacle horns protruded outwards from the humanoid being’s skull and two demonic, greyish-black color wings grew from his shoulder blades. The tentacle monster had ascended into new heights of power.

[Evolution Complete! You are now a Xenokthu species!]

[Xenokthu]: A hybrid of xenomorphic tentacles with razor-sharp pincer teeth and a lesser form of the Tentacle God Chtulu. This creature has an endless hunger and desire to absorb any lifeforms who contain Mana Cores, especially Dungeon Cores. Your own body is now a hivemind of xenomorphic sentient tentacles. Your current skills and evolutions will fuse with your new Xenokthu evolution.

[Perks of evolution]: Master of morphing. Your xenomorphic tentacles can copy other lifeforms by absorbing just one drop of their blood.

“I am feeling stronger than ever before.” The tentacle Xenomorph monster gandered at its powerful muscular liquid black hands with a sense of ego and pride.