The Final Moment

Wesker's bones cracked with a teeth-grinding sound as his body swelled like an inflated beast, growing to twice the size of an ordinary man. Green venom seeped from the gaps between his dark purple scales and dripped onto the floor, instantly corroding deep pits that smoked with blue fumes. A suffocating stench filled the air. His blood-red eyes swept over the group, and his lips twisted into a grin so warped it was nearly grotesque. Thick saliva hung between his fangs, making him look like a demon that had crawled up from the depths of hell. "You thought cutting the lines would end this? How naïve!" His voice sounded like rusty gears grinding together, carrying a metallic shriek that made everyone's eardrums ache and even caused faint blood to seep from their noses.

Li Qiang endured the piercing agony in his shoulder. Blood kept seeping from the tears in his Protective Suit, staining the nanomaterial dark red. His arm had nearly gone numb from the earlier attack, and every time he clenched his fist, pain like tearing flesh shot through him. Still, he gripped the Shock Gauntlet tightly. "Wesker, your madness ends now!" Before he could finish, Wesker turned into a black afterimage and charged at him. The air ripped apart at high speed with a piercing howl, like the horn of death itself. Li hurriedly raised his fist to block. The immense impact instantly drove his feet into the ground, carving two half-meter-deep trenches across the metal floor. He staggered backward like a kite with its string cut, then slammed heavily into the wall, shaking tiles loose in sheets.

Natasha struggled up from a laboratory table covered in shattered glass, both pistols already reloaded. Her tactical suit was torn in several places, exposing bleeding wounds, but determination shone in her eyes. Drawing on the experience she had accumulated through years as an agent, she carefully watched Wesker's movements, searching for an opening. "Aim for his joints!" she shouted, pulling the trigger. The bullets struck precisely at the gaps between the scales around Wesker's knees. Wesker roared in pain, the sound deafening, and his tail swept across like a steel whip. Natasha rolled aside just in time. The laboratory table struck by the tail instantly shattered into pieces, wooden splinters spraying like bullets and leaving dense dents in the wall.

Wanda knelt on the ground, both hands sunk deep into the floor, blood seeping between her fingers. Her body trembled violently without pause, and every breath came with a pained groan. Scarlet Magic flickered at her fingertips like a dying candle in the wind. Every thread of power she gathered seemed to drain her life force, making her face grow paler and paler. But when she saw her companions in danger, resolve flashed in her eyes. She clenched her teeth and forcibly drew upon the magic within her. "We can't lose... absolutely not!" Her hair lifted without wind as a massive scarlet vortex surged around her, sweeping nearby laboratory equipment and shattered glass into a spinning barrier.

Drawn by that power, Wesker temporarily abandoned Li and turned toward Wanda. He opened his huge mouth full of sharp fangs, and a foul wind rushed toward her as if he intended to swallow her whole. At the critical moment, Gwen suddenly raised the modified Sonic Emitter and pressed the maximum-power button. Piercing sound waves surged toward Wesker as though they had substance, shattering the laboratory's glass under their impact. Wesker clutched his ears in agony and let out a miserable howl. Cracks spread across his scales, and green blood flowed down through them, pooling on the floor into a bubbling lake of venom.

Li seized the opportunity and charged at Wesker again. Fury and hatred burned in his eyes as he drove the Shock Gauntlet forward with all his strength. That punch carried his concern for his companions, his rage at Wesker's atrocities, and his determination to protect the world. His fist cut through the air with a howl and slammed heavily into Wesker's chest. The scales shattered under the powerful impact, breaking apart like smashed glass. Wesker was sent flying backward into the cultivation chamber. Spiderweb cracks spread across its glass, and the red glow of the Virus Mother Strain became increasingly unstable. It emitted a buzzing alarm, as though wailing for its own impending doom.

Ashley hid in a corner, her legs trembling with fear, yet her gaze was exceptionally firm. She thought of all the injuries everyone had suffered protecting her along the way, of those who had sacrificed themselves to save the world, and courage welled up inside her. She picked up a fallen pistol and gripped it tightly in both hands. Though the barrel still trembled slightly, she gathered her courage, aimed at Wesker, and fired. The bullets were not powerful enough to leave more than shallow marks on his scales, but they successfully disrupted his movements and bought precious time for her companions.

Wesker was completely enraged. He threw back his head and roared, making the entire laboratory tremble. His body began to undergo a second mutation. The skin on his back tore open as enormous bone wings grew out, their spikes jutting outward like blades and gleaming with a cold, sinister light. He opened his mouth and spewed blazing green fire. Wherever it passed, deep pits were instantly corroded into the ground, while the walls melted and warped in the intense heat. "All of you, die!" He charged at them with his bone wings spread wide, and the gale they whipped up sent everyone stumbling like fallen leaves in a storm.

Wanda used the last trace of her strength to shape Scarlet Magic into a gigantic blade of light and slash at Wesker. The blade collided with the bone wings in a brilliant flash, turning the entire laboratory as bright as day and blinding everyone. The shockwave flung Wanda away. She spat blood, crashed heavily onto the floor, and lost consciousness. Li's eyes reddened as grief flooded his heart like a burst dam. He exchanged a glance with Natasha and Gwen, and the three of them charged at Wesker in perfect unspoken coordination, their eyes filled with the resolve to die if necessary.

Amid the fierce battle, Gwen suddenly noticed that the cracks in the cultivation chamber were spreading at a visible rate. The Virus Mother Strain seemed about to break free of its restraints. Her face instantly turned pale, and her voice was filled with fear and urgency. "Li! The virus is about to get out of control! We have to destroy it!" Li's heart tightened. Looking from the crazed Wesker to the precarious cultivation chamber, he understood that stopping the virus from spreading was the priority. Even though Wesker had not yet been defeated, they had no choice but to divert their attention. He looked at Natasha with trust and determination in his eyes. "Keep Wesker busy. Gwen and I will destroy the Virus Mother Strain!" Natasha nodded and opened fire with both pistols. Bullets poured toward Wesker like rain, sparks flying as they struck his scales and illuminating her resolute face.

Li and Gwen struggled toward the cultivation chamber, constantly dodging Wesker's attacks and the splashing flames along the way. Wesker seemed to sense their intentions and kept firing bone spikes to stop them. Li swung the Shock Gauntlet, smashing the incoming spikes apart, but several still grazed his body and left fresh wounds. Gwen's detector shrieked warnings amid the flames as she dodged attacks and rapidly calculated the chamber's weakness. When they finally reached it, they discovered that ordinary attacks could not destroy the sturdy glass at all. Instead, the cracks in the glass became even more unstable because of their attacks.

Gwen quickly pulled out a high-explosive grenade she carried with her. Her hand trembled slightly, and sweat covered her forehead. "This is our only option. Get back!" But Li shook his head, his eyes filled with resolve. "There's no time. I'll detonate it. You get out of here!" With that, he snatched the grenade and pressed it tightly against the cultivation chamber. Tears filled Gwen's eyes. She wanted to stop him, but she knew it was the only way. She grabbed Li's arm, her voice choked with sobs. "We'll figure something out together. There has to be another—" "Go!" Li roared, shoving Gwen away with all his strength. Gwen staggered back several steps, then turned and ran toward the others, shouting, "Li!" Her voice, full of reluctance and worry, echoed through the laboratory that was about to collapse.

Li drew a deep breath and looked at the high-explosive grenade in his hand. Memories of every moment he had spent with his companions flashed through his mind. The instant he pressed the detonator, Wesker seemed to sense something was wrong and tried to rush over to stop him, but Natasha and the remnants of Wanda's magic held him tightly in place. He roared furiously and struggled, but he could not break free.

"Boom!" A massive explosion erupted, flames shooting into the sky. The cultivation chamber was blasted to pieces, and the Virus Mother Strain was reduced to ashes in the explosion. The violent shockwave flung Li away, and he crashed heavily onto the ground as everything around him gradually blurred. Wesker was also severely injured by the blast. His bone wings shattered, his body swayed unsteadily, and large sections of his scales peeled away, revealing the mangled flesh beneath. Natasha seized the opportunity and fired every remaining bullet into Wesker's head. Wesker let out one final roar before crashing to the ground, sending dust flying.

The laboratory began to collapse under the force of the explosion. Reinforced concrete fell continuously from the ceiling, while flames spread through the laboratory and formed a sea of fire. Enduring their injuries, everyone supported one another as they ran toward the exit. Natasha carried the unconscious Wanda on her back, while Gwen supported the wounded Ashley. Their steps were unsteady, but resolute. Rubble kept falling behind them, blocking their path, and they struggled to clear it away. When the flames closed in, they used whatever they could find nearby to beat them back. The moment they finally rushed out of the laboratory, a tremendous crash sounded behind them. The entire underground laboratory was completely destroyed, and the massive shockwave knocked them to the ground.

Everyone lay sprawled on the ground, watching the rising sun as its light fell across their scarred faces. The joy of surviving the disaster welled up in their hearts, and tears slipped from their eyes without them realizing it.