Javier and Aya stopped in front of the museum.
The building was eerily silent. As soon as they got out of the car, they climbed the steps and entered the museum as cautiously as possible. The police, who arrived shortly after, cordoned off the area and dispatched helicopters for support.
Once inside, they found the body of a security guard lying on the ground. It seemed Melissa had truly been there. The two ventured further and soon reached a hallway.
By then, the hall had completely changed its appearance. Sticky liquid covered the area, and some of it dripped from the ceiling onto the floor—it was disgusting.
"Welcome. My child is about to be born, and you will not stop me," Melissa dropped from above and stared at them with a smile.
"Where exactly is your child? Why can't I see it?" Javier asked.
"Hmph, trying to fool me? I'll never let you find out. When he's born, it will be the end of humanity." Melissa saw through Javier's ploy.
"In that case, you better die first." Javier drew his gun and fired at her. Melissa dodged, but the bullet still grazed her arm.
She glared furiously at Javier, completely ignoring Aya. Flames flaring from her hands, Melissa launched into a frenzy of attacks. Javier skillfully dodged every blow, not letting a single ember touch him.
Melissa's flames ignited the surrounding nests, and now the museum itself was on fire.
"Aya, go ahead. Leave this place to me." Seeing the fire intensify, Javier urged her to flee.
"I'm not leaving. We fight together," Aya replied, firing her weapon at Melissa. Javier knew he couldn't convince her to run, so he had no choice but to end things quickly.
Javier's favorite weapon, his Desert Eagle, packed a punch. Melissa couldn't withstand the constant barrage from both of them.
After Javier shot her directly in the heart, Melissa screamed. Her mutated body began to fade. She returned to her human form, and just moments later, regained her sanity. With a faint smile, she looked at the two of them, relieved, before slowly closing her eyes and melting into a puddle of liquid.
Smoke from the fire caused Aya to cough violently.
Seeing that, Javier immediately picked her up and ran out of the museum. As they escaped, the fire consumed the building entirely. Minutes later, fire trucks arrived and began extinguishing the flames.
Javier set Aya down.
"Thank you for saving me," she said sincerely.
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed—the helicopter overhead had blown up.
Javier and Aya looked up to see a baby floating at the top of the museum, surrounded by fire. It had wings on its back and a long tail. Its face was grotesque—like a demon straight from hell.
This had to be the embryo Melissa had been nurturing. Now, it had turned into a baby. The creature let out a piercing shriek that made everyone cover their ears—everyone but Javier.
Two fighter jets flew toward the creature and launched missiles. However, the missiles detonated midair before reaching their target, and both jets caught fire, the pilots dying in the flames.
The jets crashed into a nearby river, triggering massive explosions.
"Everyone get out of here. I'll handle this thing myself."
After destroying the jets, the creature flew toward them.
All the officers fled immediately. Aya was dragged away by her teammates against her will. Now, only Javier and the monster remained outside the burning museum.
"Now I can finally have some fun with you."
With no one else around, Javier could fight at full strength. The creature screamed, then fired a laser from its mouth that passed dangerously close to him.
The beam hit a police car, causing it to explode. Javier hadn't expected the thing to be capable of shooting lasers. It was far more powerful than its mother.
He moved swiftly to the creature's side and punched it hard. The monster slammed into another police car, green blood dripping from the corner of its mouth. Enraged, it rose into the air.
Its body began to tremble. Slowly, it grew in size, eventually transforming into a giant beast.
Now, it had six pairs of glowing blue wings. They were oddly beautiful—too bad their owner was hideous.
"Human, your blasphemy against God must be repaid with your life," the monster declared. Javier hadn't expected it to speak.
It seemed that Dr. Klamp's research had gone far beyond the T-virus.
If this succeeded, humanity really could be replaced. The creature raised its hands, unleashing blue lightning bolts at Javier, who dodged with incredible speed.
"Let's see how long you can keep dodging."
The monster tracked him, unleashing a continuous barrage of blasts. Explosions filled the plaza as Javier used his reflexes to evade.
He knew this couldn't go on forever—he had to bring the monster down. After dodging another blast, he pulled out a rocket launcher and fired.
The creature didn't have time to react. The rocket struck it directly, sending it crashing to the ground. Javier quickly closed the distance, tossed several grenades onto it, and bolted away.
A massive BOOM erupted as the monster was consumed by the blast. When the smoke cleared, the creature was revealed—burnt and mangled. Only one wing remained, and its body was now a bloody, broken mess.
Javier approached. The monster glared up at him.
"Don't think this is over. I will be reborn... and you will die."
Javier drew his Desert Eagle once more and shot it straight in the head. The creature's body melted into a puddle of liquid.
Javier left the scene. When everyone saw him, they knew the monster had been defeated. The police and firefighters focused on putting out the remaining flames.
"Javier, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Aya approached him, concerned.
Javier struck a dramatic pose to show he was fine. Aya laughed and smiled warmly.
Just then, the commissioner arrived. He thanked Javier for his help and offered him a medal of merit, which made Javier's face twitch in annoyance.
Aya walked up and wrapped her arm around him, making Javier visibly happy. He breathed in her scent as she looked at him with a tender smile.
"As a reward for saving the city and killing the monster, I've decided to take you to the opera with me," Aya said.
"No!" Javier shouted, horrified.
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."