Yeshua was crouching tiredly as he laid his hands on the ground. He was breathing hard and growls of beast escaped from his maw.
Yeshua was now in his Alter Beast form.
It was a two meter tall dark blue werewolf with bristle mane that exuded ferociousness as sharpness glinted in the fangs and claws. Currents of blue wind surrounded Yeshua as the natural laws blessed him with powers.
Yeshua's soul was also strengthened and he could feel his strong connection with his genome sequence. This was a natural effect of his evolution unlike when he transformed into an abomination where his soul was forced to accommodate a high level genome sequence. This connection gave him an ability to control his Alter Beast instinctively and consciously. He did not need the AI to control it for him.
"Grr, this feeling is really overwhelming. The power that I can feel within my body is amazing. I feel that I can destroy a house with just a swipe of these claws. But I'm not done yet..."
Indeed, the process of sequence evolution was not done yet. The last step would be taking control of the beast.
Yeshua must use his connection to the genome sequence to deactivate it and turn back into his human form. He must use the power of his soul to reign on the beast and cage it inside his body. If he failed to do it, the savageness of the beast would consume his mind. Then, the spirit genes would go out of control and turn him into a real beast due to the influence of the natural laws.
This was the test of the natural laws to the Alterers. If they could not pass this test, it meant that they were not qualified to wield its power. They would be turned into a real beast instead. This was the benevolence and cruelty of the natural laws.
Yeshua could actually let the AI finish this last step. With its help, even if he lost his mind he would still complete his sequence evolution. The AI could control his genome sequence like how it deactivated the mysterious shard. However, Yeshua wanted to do it without the AI's help.
Indeed, it would be easier to finish his evolution. The pain that his body and soul was experiencing would be over. Even so, Yeshua felt that if this time he succumbed to his sufferings and chose the easy path, he would not be qualified to be called a Brave Alterer.
The humans in this world were already aware of the risk of being an Alterer but there were still people who chose this arduous path. Yeshua wanted to prove that he was determined when he chose to walk this path.
Yeshua gathered the power of his soul in controlling the genome sequence. It was instinctive like something he was born with.
Yeshua could feel the burden as his mind was getting muddled by the desire to unleash his powers around him. He wanted to be free from the restraints of his inhibitions and just do whatever he wanted to do. He wanted to destroy, kill and devour.
This was savageness and Yeshua was aware of it.
Yeshua tried to deactivate the genome sequence. It felt like pulling a raging beast inside a cage. He remembered what his father told him. He said that Alterers were caging a beast inside them. This beast was shackled and tamed while inside the cage but it would become savage once released. If the chains broke, the Alterer would not be able to pull the beast back to the cage.
The power of the soul was the shackles that bound and controlled the genome sequence. If Yeshua lost control of his soul, then he would succumb to the savageness of the beast. If that happened, there was only one outcome for him. He would be killed by the other Alterers as there was no saving a feral!
"Grr, No! I will not turn into a monster and be killed! I will live and walk the path to Eden!"
Yeshua showed his incomparable will again. The same will when his brain was being fried by the computer system. The same will when he withstood being an abomination!
The soul of the son who promised his mother that he would not give up on living and the soul of the boy who was determined to walk the path to Eden unleashed a powerful force that would never crumble!
Yeshua was pulling back the beast inside his body!
Yeshua's body was returning to its original size. The fur, claws, and fangs were receding as the mane and the tail was being absorbed into his body. His wolf head was also going back to normal. Yeshua was gradually going back to his human form.
After a while, Yeshua was completely back to being human.
At this time, the natural laws that descended gradually weakened until it was completely gone. This meant that the sequence evolution was already finished!
Yeshua passed the test of his evolution! He did it! He was now a true level 1 Brave Alterer!
Yeshua was filled with so much elation he could not completely explain.
"Hu... That was difficult. I thought I would not be able to control myself. The feeling of strength was exhilarating that I wanted to let loose! That was crazy! So, this is the darkness of Alterers. This is the alter ego that strengthened the bestial instinct of a human. If I don't properly cultivate, I will lose myself in this savageness one day."
Yeshua could not help but be alarmed by this discovery. All the stories he heard regarding Ferals were frightening but it was different when he experienced the process.
When he heard those stories, Yeshua was just frightened but he still thought that he could endure the savageness. Now, he understood how dangerous the savageness was.
Right now, he was only at stage 1 soul temperance of level 1 genome sequence. The influence of savageness on him was still strong. He decided that he would do his best in cultivating his soul temperance.
Yeshua observed the changes in his body. Though he became stronger because of the microorganisms caused by the mysterious shard, Yeshua still felt that he became much stronger than before as his lean body turned more muscular and flexible.
"This is really amazing! My body is filled with so much strength I never felt before! Even if those four generic goons become twenty goons, I can still trash them easily! Hah, I think I also become more handsome now. Hehe!"
After checking for a while, Yeshua felt enervated due to his evolution so he decided to rest first and restore his soul energy.
The power of the soul was used to control the genome sequence. The power of the soul depended on soul energy and would go stronger the higher the soul temperance of the Alterer. As the soul temperance increased, controlling the beast would be easier and the savageness would also be weakened.
After a few hours, Yeshua felt that his soul was fully rested.
"I still have some time before the meeting with the gang leader, so I think I'll use this time to familiarize myself with my new Alter Beast."
Yeshua could sense the genome sequence of the wind wolf inside the shard. His connection with it allowed him to easily feel and control it. It was different from the chaotic genome sequence that only the AI could control. Though Yeshua could somehow sense it, he could not control it. It was complicated and uncontrollable for him. Maybe the reason was that his soul was still weak to control it.
"And even if I can control it, I will not activate it! That is suicide!"
Focusing his mind on the wind wolf genome sequence, Yeshua tried to activate it.
As the genome sequence was activated, the spirit genes inside Yeshua started to transform his body. A flash of light shrouded Yeshua as he transformed into a dark blue werewolf with bristle mane surrounded by blue wind currents.
Yeshua felt the exhilarating strength again as well as the savageness. But because he already completed the sequence evolution, Yeshua could maintain his Alter Beast for much longer as long as he would not lose his mind to its savageness and had sufficient soul energy.
Of course, the soul would grow weaker as the soul energy was consumed and a weak soul was prone to losing control.
The bestial instinct allowed Yeshua to learn the capabilities of his Alter Beast. He felt that his mind worked in a different way unlike when he was in human form. His senses became sensitive and he had an instinctive understanding of his abilities.
"This is really amazing. I feel like there was a different person inside me who knows how to fight. This person was someone who hungers for blood and battle. This is my alter ego, my Alter Beast!" A growling voice escaped from the wolf maw of Yeshua. He felt excited and confident by the power he was feeling right now.
"AI, update the new name of my first Alter Beast! Let's call it Windrage Wolf!"
After saying that, Yeshua dashed from his position and unleashed powerful abilities. Wind blades filled the room as an elusive figure dashed to different parts of the room. If someone knowledgeable witnessed the speed and strength showcased by Yeshua, that person would conclude that Yeshua had an Elite Rank Alter Beast!
[Task received. Updating…]
[Windrage Wolf
Level 1
Type: Animal
Sub-type: Mammal
Species: Wolf
Affinity: Wind
Attributes: High speed, strong strength, weak defense
Abilities: Wind Claws, Vicious Bite, Wind Dash, Elusive Presence, Tornado Blast, Blood Rage, Rage – Fury Claws]